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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27182119">Setter Souls</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aeridne/pseuds/Aeridne'>Aeridne</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Courting Souls [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Canon Compliant, Developing Relationship, Domestic Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Implied Relationships, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Tattoos, Volleyball Dorks in Love</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 03:07:23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>142,940</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27182119</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aeridne/pseuds/Aeridne</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Alternate universe in which everyone gets their soulmate tattoo sometime on their fifteenth birthday. Some people put great stock into the phenomenon while others simply don't care. This story follows those who try to balance their daily lives and the discovery of their soulmates.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kageyama Tobio/Oikawa Tooru, Kageyama Tobio/Oikawa Tooru/Sugawara Koushi, Kageyama Tobio/Sugawara Koushi, Oikawa Tooru/Sugawara Koushi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Courting Souls [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2019827</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>75</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>400</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. SK</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>First fic! Hope you enjoy! The story follows the manga/anime very closely, including actual scenes and some dialogue (by Haruichi Furudate), but has the added soulmate element. It's written in three different character's perspectives, so each chapter will be through the eyes of one specific character then switch with the next. Elaborate character depictions are my personal head canon for the story. This story contains spoilers for the entire series, and includes time skips!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sugawara Koushi walked casually to the gym used for the boys volleyball club on the first day of the new school year. He and his two teammates, Daichi and Tanaka, received a few applications from some interesting sounding first years for the team. The most interesting applicant was a guy named Kageyama Tobio, because he was touted as being a star setter. Suga remembered seeing him play during a middle school tournament the previous season and marveling at his skill and precision. They were all surprised to see his name on the club application since he was coming from a powerhouse middle school for volleyball. It was unusual for someone to choose to come to a school that wasn’t a powerhouse school anymore, like Karasuno, instead of moving onto another top school. </p><p>“Yeah, but that guy seems kinda conceited. I heard he’s called ‘king of the court’, what’s that all about ehhh?” Tanaka ranted as they opened the gym doors, “we’ll just have to knock him down a few pegs!” </p><p>Suga laughed, slightly exasperated, then reprimanded his hot headed teammate, “you haven’t even met the guy yet, knock it off!” </p><p>He playfully pushed Tanaka into the gym and followed with Daichi bringing up the rear. The two new first years were having some sort of heated discussion, but it ended immediately when the upperclassmen walked over to them. Suga moved his eyes across their features briefly while Daichi introduced everyone. It really was Kageyama Tobio standing in their gym, now infamous king of the court as Tanaka had mentioned. Next to the mysterious new setter stood a small, bright, ginger kid who was gazing at the older students with his eyes blown open wide the size of saucers. But Suga was slightly too caught up in sizing up Kageyama to really take in the unknown kid at the moment. </p><p>He was standing there somewhat stiffly like he was nervous about being around others so abruptly. Suga noted that he was taller than the rest of them by several inches, probably about six feet. His straight, midnight black hair was just short enough to stay out of his eyes, which came across as intense with piercing blue coldness. Suga thought he was very handsome in a conventional way, despite his scowling expression, which looked like one he wore often. Suga wondered vaguely about how his face would change when he smiled, before tilting his head and shaking the thought away. He clasped his hands behind his back lightly, feeling a weird thrum of energy around the first years. <em> These guys are really energetic.. </em> the thought flickered across his mind while Kageyama’s height was asked about. A soulmate tattoo peeked out from under his rolled up track jacket sleeve, placed on the inside of his forearm. <em> It looks floral. How funny on a guy like that. </em>Suga mused and then returned to the moment, realizing that his thoughts had distracted him and the situation in front of him was quickly spiraling out of control.</p><p>Loud, rowdy bickering had filled the gym and echoed off the high ceiling, caused by the small mandarin kid and Kageyama. Daichi was clearly trying to deescalate the situation but being thoroughly ignored, <em> and </em>the vice principal had walked in and started grilling Daichi on the ruckus in the gym. Suga was glued in place, watching in mild shock as the two first years riled each other up until Kageyama picked up a ball and demanded that the small guy prove it, whatever that meant. Suga frowned at the new guys, and glanced around trying to think of how to intervene. He usually didn’t have trouble keeping up with others’ energy like this, but it was quickly turning into the most bizarre new recruit meet and greet he’d ever experienced.</p><p>Kageyama haughtily marched off to the other side of the court, tossed a volleyball up high, chased after it, jumped with a scary sort of grace Suga had not really seen before, and slammed it towards the other first year. Suga’s breath caught in his throat as he watched the tiny first year barely dodge the serve, with it narrowly missing his face. Kageyama yelled across the gym something harsh and accusatory about not being any different than before. Everyone else couldn’t do anything but stare at the pair of them running amuck, and even Daichi was too taken aback to try to stop them again.</p><p>“One more!” The small guy shouted back at Kageyama, who frowned even further and picked up another ball to serve. It shot across the net again like a cannon, but this time the tangerine kid practically teleported to match up with the ball’s trajectory. It ricocheted off his arms and blasted sideways, smashed into the vice principal, and sent his toupee flying neatly onto Daichi’s head. Suga just stood there, gaping and wide eyed while Kageyama asked curiously about the toupee, clearly distracted from his volleyball brawl. Tanaka and the other first year answered him with whispered voices and barely contained laughter. Holding up a finger in front of his lips, Suga shushed them after finally being shaken from his surprise at the whole ordeal. </p><p>Daichi and the vice principal left soon after the toupee was restored to its rightful place to have a chat. Suga sighed and hoped they wouldn’t face any problems or punishments for the chaotic display with the new applicants. His best friend was captain this year and he could be pretty intimidating when necessary. He teased Suga a few times when they chose the roles the previous year that this was his reasoning for why he needed someone congenial like Suga to be vice-captain. But Suga was starting to wonder if taking on the role was a mistake with these new wild first years needing to be corralled. </p><p>The captain appeared again a little later looking irritated and flustered, with his hands on his hips staring down the first years. Much to Suga’s surprise, he scolded the newcomers and kicked them out of the gym for being unwilling to cooperate with each other. Not long after being evicted from the gym, the two came back and very ridiculously requested a challenge game to join the team. <em> Cute. These guys are hilarious. </em>Suga thought as he watched Daichi clarify the terms of their challenge while subtlety hyping them up for success. Suga realized that he was already way too invested in these first years as if under some sort of spell, charmed. But he didn’t really mind. There was something really fascinating about the new team dynamic that was starting to take shape and he felt like a good change was coming.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. KT</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Tobio stood slightly slouched and leaning against the vending machines by the gym after school on Friday. It was the day before the practice match that would determine the fate of his setter soul. He frowned and sipped a milk box with a narrow straw, glaring around the corner where he spied Hinata and Sugawara-senpai chit-chatting idly. Tobio took everything in appraisingly from his obscured perch against the humming machine. He watched Hinata’s bushy orange hair get caught and ruffle in the breeze while his small, reddened, volleyball beaten hands gestured wildly to a bemused looking upperclassman. It looked kind of like he was going to take flight any moment with the tentative bouncing on the balls of his feet, like a baby bird wiggling closer to the edge of the nest. Tobio scoffed to himself, thinking of how to fix this situation and be able to play as a setter for the volleyball team. The team’s Captain had decided earlier that week after the vice principal fiasco that Tobio couldn’t be the setter if he and Hinata lost the practice match on Saturday. He really didn’t want to play any position other than setter, despite being able to, so he had to win. The problem he now faced came in the form of a tiny, spastic, orange, bottle-rocket, who had basically no technical volleyball skills whatsoever. </span>
  <em>
    <span>That idiot has so much raw talent. He’s just can’t catch up fast enough. How can I push him to make this work?! What if I break him like I’ve done before? If I can’t win this practice match, I won’t be able to play how I want. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Tobio brooded, getting moodier by the minute while he sipped his carton.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He shifted his gaze to his new senpai, Sugawara-san. The air about him seemed so clear and Tobio didn’t know what to think of this sensation. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe it’s just the breeze</span>
  </em>
  <span> Tobio thought and shrugged to himself. Sugawara-san’s hair abruptly swished around, being picked up by that clear air. Tobio watched his senpai’s hands lightly sweep upward to tuck a few silvery strands away from his face, seemingly unperturbed, as he smiled a nodded at Hinata; who was still waving his body around like the wind would pick him up as well. He took in Sugawara’s appearance further, looking for an answer for the odd feeling: </span>
  <em>
    <span>kind of average-tall, but still shorter than me. His hair catches light with that color, that’s different. Club jacket, track pants, nice proportions. Pretty, round, charming face, with that cute mark. Cute? I guess it is, thanks brain. What do I know about him, then? Main setter, much more experience than me. I want to see him toss. What do his tosses look like? His hands are so delicate looking. How does he move around so gracefully? I wonder if he moves that way on the court too. I wonder if I can learn from that. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Tobio sighed and continued to peer at his teammates when he heard Hinata mention something about himself being a formidable rival.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure Hinata, but you have to remember, he used to be your most formidable rival, but </span>
  <em>
    <span>now </span>
  </em>
  <span>he’s your most formidable ally.” Sugawara-san replied kindly, like it was the most natural and obvious answer. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio nearly choked on his sip of milk. He didn’t usually miss information flying around, especially if it was about him, but he distinctly realized he had missed something. Sugawara-san’s presence had distracted him somehow from listening more keenly to the conversation. Tobio frowned even deeper at himself for that loss. He knew he was outwardly harsh and apathetic. It’s not that he didn’t understand social cues or why people behaved a certain way, or how people could phrase things nicely. It’s that he didn’t know how to respond to them at all and it was overwhelming. It made him seem socially inept, which was moderately correct since he rarely responded appropriately. Growing up, he decided he didn’t care to fix this shortcoming, but now he kind of wished he had. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I wouldn’t seem so awkward then. I think people think I don’t know what’s going on around me... </span>
  </em>
  <span>Tobio scoffed at himself again for the random thought, and pushed off the vending machine with his shoulder, heading towards his teammates.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. SK</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>If someone asked Suga, he’d say that the rest of the week passed by pretty quickly. He had helped his plucky new teammates practice for the match on Saturday a few times along with Tanaka. It was nice to see the rowdy second year take so much interest in some rowdy first years. Suga really liked Hinata, and felt kind of bad for always nicknaming him some type of small orange citrus in his head beforehand. But the guy was bright and determined with such amazingly fast reflexes, making Suga wonder why he wasn’t more interested in being a libero instead of proclaiming to be the ace of the team. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga and Hinata were standing around chatting about volleyball positions and aspirations in general when Kageyama sidled up to them with a grumpy expression. Suga smiled to himself, realizing he was right when he guessed that this was the typical face the younger setter wore.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hinata, let’s practice those receives now. I refuse to set to someone who can’t play.” Kageyama stated rather bluntly, in Suga’s opinion. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The prickly guy was definitely blunt and seemed hyper honest with a critical mind. </span>
  <em>
    <span>No wonder people didn’t get along with him, he’s a bit too demanding with those high expectations for people to handle. Especially if that’s all he voices out loud to others. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Suga smiled vaguely at the pair while he thought about how to best help them fit in with the team. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His eyes wandered over them, analyzing their behavior and determining a good approach when they stopped on Kageyama’s arm. The one with his soulmate tattoo which was now fully exposed since Kageyama was wearing a light tee shirt for volleyball practice. Suga gazed at it, while the other two boys bickered about who knows what; he had stopped paying attention the moment the tattoo caught his eye. It was very floral, and he recognized the dahlias and chrysanthemums woven around the imagery of an ornate crown and scepter, delicately crossed. The floral aspect of the design was so overwhelming that it captured and entangled the royalty symbols. Overall it was very beautiful and intricate with deep, rich color. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It dawned on him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh.” Suga said softly with a small gasp of air that he quickly drew back into his chest. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hinata and Kageyama paused their argument, turning their eyes towards him with curiosity. Suga belatedly realized he was spacing out and wasn't participating in their conversation whatsoever. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you ok Sugawara-senpai?” Hinata asked quietly, leaning towards him with concern painted across his face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh! Yeah! Sorry! I’m fine!” Suga reassured a bit too loudly, his hands flying up between them in surrender, “I just remembered I forgot something in the clubroom, see you guys later!” He flashed a smile at them, gave a little wave, and took off as inconspicously as possible. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shock. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga decided to make good on his claim, sprinting to the clubroom, and wrenched the door open. He threw himself inside and closed the door behind him, leaning against it and breathing hard like he had just run a marathon. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Kageyama is one of my soulmates. What? How did I not notice immediately?? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Suga frantically thought to himself, taking it all in, and trying to relive all his previous interactions with the grouchy first year. To be fair, he’d only known the guy for all of five days. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Okay, that’s a pretty fast turn around, actually... should I tell him? Should I wait? What do I do?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga nearly vibrated with excitement, bracing himself against the door for support. Ever since his fifteenth birthday when his own tattoo appeared on his arm, he wanted to meet his soulmates. Like everyone else, he had learned all about soulmates in various classes in school. The subject was taught from a pretty young age since it was a human phenomenon, like a mix between physiology and psychology. Soulmate tattoos appeared on a person sometime on their fifteenth birthday. They depicted images that related to the individuals involved along with a descriptive word for each person in the bond, written in any language. There weren’t any deviations with layout of the images or words amongst soulmates in the bond, and usually tattoos appeared on the same part of the body as well. This aspect made it simple to find your soulmate because tattoos matched exactly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga slid down the door to sit and reflected on all the facts he knew about soulmate tattoos. He knew he had two soulmates, following the rule of one word per person on the tattoo. Sometimes imagery was so similar or combined that it made discovering the number of people in the bond challenging, but not with the words. His tattoo had three words, almost expertly hidden, but they were there and written in Latin. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He knew there was some controversy on people believing the soulmate phenomenon as legitimate in creating a bond between people like it was destiny; especially since they were always romantic bonds. It was clear that some people had bad experiences, or relationships didn’t work out regardless of the bond. These people waxed poetic all over the internet, but Suga didn’t want to think about that. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Obviously everyone has a different experience</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he thought, rolling his eyes at himself to the empty room. He thought about all the stories he heard of both successes and failures for soulmate relationships but ultimately knew. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I want that.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga decided he needed a plan to at least try to navigate the soulmate phenomenon, struggle or not. First step, he’d have to confess his new secret. Next step, follow through even if it turned out to be difficult and give his best effort to pursue the bond. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Crown. King of the court. Oh my god. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Suga dropped his face into his hands and tucked his knees up to his chest to hide from absolutely no one but his own blazing embarrassment. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A few moments later, minutes maybe, Suga was jarred from behind when someone attempted to open the door to the clubroom. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He let out a small, “Oomph!” and the door jostling stopped. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Daichi’s voice called out, “hello?” And a pause, then a mumbled, “‘sup with this door?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga scrambled back a few paces into the clubroom before Daichi decided to jiggle the door a little more forcefully, which he did only a moment later. Tumbling in, Daichi stood stunned and pitched forward precariously in the doorway after shoving it open so roughly. Suga looked up to Daichi from his sprawled position on the floor and griped, “Daichi! Don’t break down the door!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What are you doing, Suga?” Daichi raised his eyebrows at his friend, straightening up, and held out his hand to help the other stand. Suga took his hand and was hefted off the ground easily. He let go and put his hands on his hips, shifting his gaze down at the ground with a contemplative expression on his face. Before Daichi could say anything about the odd mood, Suga snapped his eyes to Daichi’s with conflicted intensity.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kageyama is my soulmate.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Daichi blinked a few times, processing, “what?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kageyama is my soulmate.” He said again with the same tense inflection in his voice.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga waited patiently for his best friend to catch up to speed on this shocking revelation. He remembered when they were first years, they became good friends while bonding over volleyball. Daichi and Asahi, the other third year on the team, also wanted their club to become a powerhouse school again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He fondly thought back to when he kind of wished Daichi was his soulmate. Daichi was strong, honest, loyal, level headed, and a million other pleasant things that Suga knew would make him amazing boyfriend material. However, their tattoos didn’t even remotely match; his best friend had this interestingly woven-patterned-feline motif wrapped around his left bicep. Suga also realized after being friends for a while that Daichi was actually kind of dull in a way. He was grounding, stable, but too dull for him to stay interested and even aside from that, Daichi probably wouldn’t be able to handle Suga in a romantic relationship. Suga knew he could be a handful to say the least. Daichi and Asahi had teased him relentlessly over the years that whoever ended up as his soulmate would have to be able to keep up with him; and they jokingly tried to convince him that this was the reason he had </span>
  <em>
    <span>two </span>
  </em>
  <span>soulmates. Suga didn’t mind their words though and always just shrugged it off as some sort of cosmic truth.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Huh,” Daichi scratched his chin absently, “well. I’m really glad you found one! How-how do you feel about it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga inwardly groaned at being treated so gently, apprehensively, bordering on kid gloves. Enough of that exasperation must have slipped onto his face because Daichi grimaced back at him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine, I think? I haven’t really had a chance to stew over it, ya know? I literally found out fifteen minutes ago when I was talking to him and Hinata! And I bolted! Oh god. I hope it wasn’t too obvious something was up. How am I supposed to fix that reaction?! What if he thinks that I think that he’s not worth it or something like that and he won’t even give it a chance?! I mean we barely even know each other and I’m older than him </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> he’s a setter too? Or maybe not if you won’t let him after Saturday. But how will I approach him about this? Does he even like people? Guys? I mean, he’s so brooding, who knows what even goes on in that mind of his? But something right? He can’t be all volleyball and empty air and tallness and tosses and nothing else right?! What if he doesn’t want me? What if he doesn’t want romance or-or just not me, to give me a chance? Can I make a soulmate connection with the other mystery person and just forget about him? That doesn’t feel right. That idea just doesn’t feel right. What do I do, Daichi?” Suga took a large gasping breath of air and bent forward with his hands on his knees. He tried to calm his breathing, not wanting to have a full blown panic attack. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ah, kid gloves.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Suga thought with a quick glance back up to Daichi’s startled face. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He’s such a good friend.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Daichi sucked in a breath then let out a huff, a smile sneaking onto his face. “I don’t know,” he smiled in full then and reached out to pat Suga’s shoulder genially. “You know, you’re always wearing your volleyball jacket, or your school jacket... so I’m pretty sure at least half of what you just said isn’t even a thing...”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga stared blankly at his friend for a moment, “oh.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Daichi smiled even wider, “I think you should tell him. Give him a chance to give you a chance and all that. I mean, you don’t know him yet, right? Maybe he’s secretly a loverboy or something like that? You don’t know unless you find out, and he’s had no chance to discover you so you have the upper hand in how you wanna go about it, you know?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Loverboy?! </span>
  </em>
  <span>Suga smirked at his friend. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I wonder what that means to you, Daichi...</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Yes. You’re right. Well, then... after giving it some thought,” Suga put on an air of superiority like he already had all the answers and it was Daichi who was clueless, “I’ll talk with him on Saturday after everything is all settled and we can take it from there.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Daichi smiled fondly at his friend, “So wise, Suga-san. Let’s go get some meat buns before we head home, yeah?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga kept his airs about him while he nodded and strode past Daichi, giving him a sharp slap on the back in appreciation for dealing with his specific brand of crazy. Daichi just laughed loudly as they went on their way.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. KT</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The day of the match finally arrived and Tobio felt confident. He stood on the court, in position, and tried focusing on earning points while ignoring the snarky verbal jabs of the beanpole, blonde middle blocker, Tsukishima. </span>
  <em>
    <span>This guy’s an asshole. He’s better at blocking than I thought though... </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was a three on three match with two upperclassmen on the team and the four new first years; Sawamura-san, Tsukishima, and Yamaguchi versus himself, Hinata, and Tanaka-san. The teams were keeping a pretty even score. Get the ball, toss, spike, score, repeat, blocked, receive, toss, blocked, a taunt. Tobio heard it loud and clear, the scowl on his face deepening each time. Tsukishima had started regaling the team about how Tobio earned the nickname ‘king of the court’, attempting to get a rise out of him and make him miss the ball. He used to send his tosses so demandingly, harshly, that his former teammates would often miss them. However, he knew if he just pushed them a little more and if they’d hustle to hit the ball, they’d improve their play. But ultimately, he found out the hard way that they didn’t like his tactics and decided to completely turn away from it all; even going as far as throwing their last tournament game out of sheer spite.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He turned his back to Tsukishima while the offender continued his tale of the king of the court who was abandoned by his commoners. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Fucking king of the court isn’t who I want to be! I’ll get left again! I can’t avoid it, it seems, even my fucking tattoo... </span>
  </em>
  <span>Tobio swiped his hand unconsciously over his soulmate mark.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re right,” Tobio admitted, “the thought of someone not being there to hit my toss utterly terrifies me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But you’re not in middle school anymore,” Hinata stated easily. “ your tosses will reach me so there’s no problem.” Tobio stared in mild shock at the energetic guy. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What? It can’t possibly be that simple.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hinata pointed an accusing finger at Tsukishima who was still sneering at them from opposite the net, “the real problem is how to slam it past you!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio’s fingers tingled as if he felt a weird surge of energy radiate off Hinata and smack the sour expression off Tsukishima’s face. With vague interest, he just watched as Hinata continued his tirade, declaring that Tobio would be setter and would toss to him no matter what. Tobio frowned in disbelief at his tiny teammate’s squawking and barely registered Tsukishima’s quiet commentary that Hinata’s honest attitude was irritating. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The game continued, Hinata encouraging Tobio that he would be there to hit any tosses that came his way. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He’s there, I can see him. It’s almost unavoidable so I guess I’ll toss to him anyway. But I just don’t see how he’s going to get past that asshole beanpole. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He tossed the ball instinctively to Hinata instead of Tanaka and the shrimp tapped it over the net. Hinata looked elated, and Tobio just stared wide eyed, taking in the guy’s exhilaration at the ball hitting the floor instead of rebounding off Tsukishima’s broad hands. The stunned faces of his teammates around the gym didn’t escape his notice. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It was out though, idiot. They must be just as surprised at this guy as I am. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tanaka started ranting immediately about the duo just performing a quick attack. </span>
  <em>
    <span>We didn’t practice that, there’s no way he’d be able to hit another one like that. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Tobio scowled and told Hinata these undeniable facts, crossing his arms. But Shrimpy looked like he was going to blow his lid like a steamed up teapot and started shouting about things never being impossible and Tobio being weird. Tobio shrugged off most of the angry buzzing coming from his teammate and told him to shut up. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He walked away while Tsukishima verbally jabbed again, but when Tobio didn’t respond the tall guy moved on and aimed his jabs at Hinata instead. Tobio rolled his eyes, huffing at Hinata, who was taking the bait and being reeled in by Tsukishima’s snark. Tobio decided to feign disinterest and ignore their squabbling until Hinata’s response to the snide comments resonated within him as well. </span>
  <em>
    <span>We both just want to be on the court for as long as possible and play. I can respect that, I guess..</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio walked back over to Hinata and glared pointedly at Tsukishima, “I open up the wall that blocks the spiker.” His comment drew the attention of the rest of his teammates as well, but he didn’t care and continued, “that’s my job as a setter!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then he grabbed Hinata and bodily dragged him away from the net for a private team meeting, Tanaka yelping “oi!” and jogging over to join them too. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Let’s try, then. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He quickly explained to the energized idiot how to do a quick attack and that they should try it out. Hinata nodded along with a completely blank face. Tanaka-san looked disbelieving at him and started nitpicking about how he really didn’t explain anything well enough and how bizarre it was to be hyped up now when he was dejected a minute ago. Tobio brazenly denied Tanaka’s claims and moved to get into position to continue the game. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Whatever, I was not feeling dejected. This shouldn’t be possible. But if we’re going to try, then we’ll put everything into it to see if it works, obviously! Hinata has amazingly fast reflexes anyway, he might be able to hit a quick without practice.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio set the quick attack in the next minute, zipping the ball to Hinata’s location. Tobio craned his neck around to watch as soon as it left his hands and witnessed it fly right past Hinata. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Too slow, Shrimpy.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He frowned at the failed first attempt, displeased about things not working out like he knew they could, and started yelling at Hinata on how to fix it. But he abruptly stopped himself and clenched his jaw shut. He saw Tsukishima smirk and whisper smugly about finally seeing the king’s toss. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It was the first time!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nothing works the first time!” Tobio argued vehemently. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tsukishima replied sardonically, “I wonder about that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He tossed again and again and again, Hinata missing the quick attack sets every single time. The shrimp was just not quite making it to the ball fast enough mid-air, but Tobio knew he was capable with his zippy athleticism. A small argument broke out between the trio from all the shared frustration of their failing strategy. </span>
  <em>
    <span>How do I get this idiot to use all his power to get to that ball?!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kageyama,” Sugawara-san called out his name while picking up the ball and walking over to them. His approach broke up the argument, then he lightly commented, “at this rate, you’re just  repeating middle school all over again.” He paused looking unsure for a moment of what he was trying to say. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He looks so calm. Does he get what I’m saying about the shrimp’s abilities? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Tobio frowned and tried to explain, “Hinata is exceptionally mobile. He’s fast, has good reflexes, and he can jump. With time and practice, he should be able to-“</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah! But! Um..” Sugawara-san interrupted, then continued more confidently, “don’t you think the way you’re setting now is hindering his best weapon, his speed? Hinata is a complete newbie.. he’s not like the elite hitters you had in middle school who could barely keep up with you. But talent-wise, he has potential! With your skill, don’t you think you could.. uh..” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sugawara-san faltered when he looked at Tobio, catching his eyes for a few seconds, then suddenly seemed nervous as if he had said something weird but he continued anyway, “I don’t know! ..umm.. take Hinata’s unique skill set, his ‘Hinata-ness’ and umm, you know.. um, do more.. uh..can’t you somehow find some way to take advantage of that in whatever the best way is?!” </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio pinched his brows together while he listened to his senpai’s advice, thinking of how to do what he suggested. He watched his senpai’s eyes linger downwards to somewhere around the floor, and it seemed like he was deflating, but he continued, “you see, I’m a setter like you are. Watching you in last year’s game, I was stupefied. Your exacting ball control, your incredible instincts, but most of all, your broad vision and decisiveness that let you pick apart the opponents’ moves and determine where they’d block! All of that, is stuff I can’t do. You have the skill and the talent. You have more than enough enthusiasm. But most importantly, you have the incredible vision to see everything around you. There’s no way you can’t see your teammates too!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio’s mouth was pressed into a thin line by the time Sugawara-san had finished talking. The latter swiftly lobbed the ball over and Tobio caught it, his face morphing into a deep contemplative frown. </span>
  <em>
    <span>So I just need to utilize Hinata’s natural talents? His natural talents are amazing! He should be able to jump fast and hit anything with how he moves. I just need to figure out how to connect the ball with him... But Sugawara-san, why are you saying such things to me.. You have so much more experience and people trust you. I don’t like that look on your face at all right now. I need to fix this situation and win this game.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio looked down at the ball in his hands then snapped his attention to Hinata, who flinched. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This reaction didn’t stop Tobio though and he said, “I’m jealous of your athletic reflexes.” Hinata squawked in surprise, but Tobio continued, “that’s why you piss me off! It’s wasted on you!” Another squawk, </span>
  <em>
    <span>maybe this isn’t coming out right,</span>
  </em>
  <span> “I have no choice but to utilize all of your ability! I’ll make you use everything you’ve got!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tanaka seemed both annoyed and confused, but Tobio pressed on unperturbed, “run as fast as you can. Jump as high as you can.. and fly. Don’t worry about the ball. I’ll bring it to you.”</span>
  <em>
    <span>Just use your power and smack the ball! I’ll just have to deliver it to you instead of you trying to catch up to it! </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hinata continued his squawking, incredulous at Tobio’s bizarre orders to just use all his power and swing no matter if he could see the ball or not. Tobio hoped he was convinced to at least try and stared him down. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I will pinpoint deliver this ball.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Hinata stopped arguing while looking at Tobio’s resolved expression and finally agreed to try. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio moved into place on the court and breathed in and out slowly, then focused with total concentration on the next play. </span>
  <em>
    <span>This will work. Where is everyone on the court? What is his jump apex? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Questions like these ran through his head as he analyzed the court and decided on the perfect spot to send the ball. It sped through the air with an impossibly accurate trajectory and Hinata swung his arm down, slamming it to the other side of the net in an alarmingly fast quick attack.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hinata cheered excitedly while Tsukishima scoffed and feigned disinterest even though it was clear he was surprised, with his eyes widening at the feat. Tobio just squinted at his excitable teammate, analyzing the toss and hit in his mind. He noticed Daichi looking around at his teammates standing around the net. The captain also wore a shocked expression, but much more visible than Tsukishima’s. Daichi commented under his breath like it was taboo, that Hinata’s eyes were closed during that spike. The others let out protesting sounds of disbelief; but Daichi continued to reiterate that Hinata just swung without even bothering to look at the ball, and that Tobio had literally pinpoint delivered the ball to where Hinata would be in order for it to be hit across the net. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio was dumbfounded that Hinata would spike a ball with his eyes closed and turned on him immediately. Being thoroughly agitated at the dumbass, he started arguing with him about playing with your eyes closed and following directions too literally. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Who can trust someone one hundred percent!? </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know it worked, but who trusts one hundred percent?” Tobio demanded to know.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hinata fired right back, “I can’t help it! Trusting is the only way I know how to do it!” Tobio was completely taken aback by his simplicity. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Well, my tosses can show off his reflexes and mobility. Let’s do this, and win. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The three-player team huddled up to hash out a plan for the rest of the match. Tobio explained how they could scatter the other side’s defense by having both Tanaka and Hinata go for the spike simultaneously. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even if the next couple of plays didn’t end up working out exactly as he imagined, Tobio saw that it would work. The new type of quick, pinpoint tosses required more attention than usual to get just right and Tobio realized he was beginning to have a lot fun making the small adjustments. After a few plays like this, the game was paused for a moment, and Tobio stood by the net catching his breath. A grin slipped onto his face while he glanced around the gym for a second. </span>
  <em>
    <span>These adjustments are going well but it isn’t easy. This is a blast!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The rest of the set went by in a blur, literally, as Tobio watched Hinata zoom back and forth across the court, finding those perfectly open spots to leap and slam the ball down. No walls were impeding his path to scoring points now as he simply dashed around them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They won the set. Tobio shared his elation with Hinata and Tanaka when all was done. His face lit up in a small smile and he took a sip from from his water bottle. He peered around to see Tanaka-san pestering Sawamura-san and Sugawara-san about whether or not they knew himself and Hinata would work well together. Tobio raised his eyebrows at this unexpected idea. </span>
  <em>
    <span>That’s quite the guess. I wonder if they really knew or not. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Tobio mused to himself, getting distracted by sizing up his upperclassmen and not hearing the rest of the conversation. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After everyone was cooled down, Tobio submitted his club application again and it was finally accepted. Apparently the upperclassmen really did predict that everything would work out because they even got their club jackets. While putting the jacket on, Tobio, the other first years, and Tanaka-san stood around by the net chatting about volleyball practice routines. Tanaka-san was showing off a goofy jacket pose when Takeda-sensei, the club faculty advisor, burst into the gym huffing and out of breath. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The teacher excitedly announced that they were going to be having a practice match with Aoba Johsai high school, a.k.a. Seijoh, which was a top four school in the prefecture. Tobio straightened up stiffly and scowled. Seijoh happened to be the school that many of his former teammates attended. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What? Why? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Takeda-sensei went on to say that there was a condition for the game in which Tobio would have to play setter during the entire match. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What?! Why?! </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio grimaced when he looked at Sugawara-san’s surprised face. His mouth was slightly agape while he listened to Takeda-sensei talking about the odd condition. Tobio watched the others intently, taking in their tense postures. Sugawara-san blinked, then perked up a bit and claimed that him not being setter for the match was fine. He mentioned that he wanted to see Tobio and Hinata’s crazy quick in a real match too, and they should participate despite it being conditional. The other members shared nods of agreement and they were told the details of the match with Seijoh for the following Tuesday. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Sugawara-san is Karasuno’s official setter. How can he be okay with this? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Tobio brooded to himself, peering at Sugawara-san and feeling uneasy about the situation.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. SK</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Immediately after practice was over, Suga rushed to the clubroom as casually as he could to change, but more importantly, text his friends. The recent three on three match with the new club members left his head spinning. The new members were crazy! Suga knew he felt a weird sort of charge in the air or maybe a connection with Tobio the day they met, but it kept hounding him every time they spoke. <em> Can I blame this on the soulmate bond?! Clearly it was good that I talked to him about how to work with Hinata, but I said so many things! I just couldn’t keep a lid on it! And the Seijoh practice on top of that?! How am I supposed to get on the same page as my soulmate now? It’s like we’re being pitted against each other! </em>Suga thought to himself. He paused and took a deep breath then reached for his phone while leaning against a locker.</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Group chat with Daichi, Asahi, and Kiyoko “ultimate senpai crows fourever”</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p><b><em>Sugaaa </em> </b> <b> <em>4:36PM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>So, that just happened. </p>
<p><b><em>Dadchi </em> </b> <b> <em>4:37PM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>hey, yeah are you ok with that? Where did you run off to??</p>
<p><b><em>KiYOLO </em> </b> <b> <em>4:37PM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>I get what you said about wanting to see it during a match, Suga-san, but I want to ask too, are you ok with this?</p>
<p><b><em>Sugaaa </em> </b> <b> <em>4:38PM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>clubroom, yeah, it’s fine really. I really do want to see it. The potential is crazy, don’t you think? It’s a lot though... The match isn’t really what I’m worried about </p>
<p><b><em>Dadchi </em> </b> <b> <em>4:39PM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>ah</p>
<p><b><em>Jesus </em> </b> <b> <em>4:40PM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>whtsup? </p>
<p><b><em>Dadchi </em> </b> <b> <em>4:42PM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>we have some new first years in club that are like delinquents! But they make a crazy duo with this crazy quick, you’d have to see it, and we have a practice match coming up against Seijoh, but they wanna see the new first year setter play during the match. Suga’s conflicted. Anyway, Asahi, are you coming back to club?!</p>
<p><b><em>Jesus </em> </b> <b> <em>4:43PM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>Seijoh?!?!? WHT?!? Wow.. I dn’t know Daichi... I dn’t think I can rn. Let’s not talk abt it, k?</p>
<p><b><em>KiYOLO </em> </b> <b> <em>4:43PM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>what else is bothering you Suga?</p>
<p><b><em>Sugaaa </em> </b> <b> <em>4:44PM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>I found out that Kageyama is my soulmate, saw his tattoo</p>
<p><b><em>KiYOLO </em> </b> <b> <em>4:45PM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>oh wow. You found a soulmate! That’s great! I wish I knew who mine was, though I suppose it’s not weird to find out in college or whenever</p>
<p><b><em>Sugaaa </em> </b> <b> <em>4:46PM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>yeah.. I haven’t told him yet, he doesn’t know</p>
<p><b><em>Jesus </em> </b> <b> <em>4:46PM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>Kageyama? </p>
<p><b><em>Daichi </em> </b> <b> <em>4:47PM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>one of the club first years, tough cookie</p>
<p><b><em>Jesus </em> </b> <b> <em>4:47PM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>tough cookie??? Lol that’s cool tho, Suga! What’s the prblm?</p>
<p><b><em>Sugaaa </em> </b> <b> <em>4:47PM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>ehh it’s a tricky situation... he’s the new setter that Seijoh wants to see. But it’s more than that.. I decided on telling him about our bond. But he’s such a hard read. I kinda get the feeling that what he shows on the outside doesn’t even remotely match how he really is.. but I’m conflicted because I’m not sure if I’m just projecting what I would want or not? He’s kinda harsh..he’s also pretty jumpy with his upperclassmen. I think his interactions with people in middle school negatively impacted him... </p>
<p><b><em>Sugaaa </em> </b> <b> <em>4:48PM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>I’d still take a bite of the cookie tho ;)</p>
<p><b><em>KiYOLO </em> </b> <b> <em>4:48PM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>Suga! </p>
<p><b><em>Dadchi </em> </b> <b> <em>4:48PM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>Suga!!! </p>
<p><b><em>Jesus </em> </b> <b> <em>4:49PM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>lol! Oh boy.. Suga, that is a lot... im glad ur going to tlk with him tho! A bond is a bond, rght? I bet ur not projecting, ur so good at reading people. It’s scary.</p>
<p><b><em>Dadchi </em> </b> <b> <em>4:49PM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>I agree, just talk to him. If he’s jumpy, then why don’t you just take it slow? It’s not like you have to rush into anything just cuz he’s a soulmate</p>
<p><b><em>KiYOLO </em> </b> <b> <em>4:50PM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>Yes! I agree too! If you need any help with anything, let me know too, okay? If you’re having trouble figuring out what to say to him, you can always just show him your tattoo, right? It’s a pretty straightforward method.</p>
<p><b><em>Sugaaa </em> </b> <b> <em>4:50PM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>thanks guys, you’re the best! &lt;3 I’m still going to talk to him later tonight then. </p>
<p><b><em>Dadchi </em> </b> <b> <em>4:51PM</em> </b> <b> <em>:</em> </b> good plan. Actually, let’s pull him aside and talk to him about Hinata’s starting position then, k? I’m gonna go buy meat buns for everyone now, ttyl</p>
<p><b><em>Sugaaa </em> </b> <b> <em>4:52PM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>yeah, Im going to head that way too then, see ya</p>
<p><b><em>Jesus </em> </b> <b> <em>4:54PM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>ooo I kinda miss meatbuns </p>
<p><b><em>Sugaaa </em> </b> <b> <em>4:54PM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>if you come back to club, Daichi will buy you meat buns for the whole season.</p>
<p><b><em>Dadchi </em> </b> <b> <em>4:55PM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>what?! Suga! I will NOT! But seriously, maybe, if you come back to club...</p>
<p><b><em>KiYOLO </em> </b> <b> <em>4:55PM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>we miss you, Asahi :)</p>
<p><b><em>Jesus </em> </b> <b> <em>4:57PM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>ehh, not rn guys.. See u in class. Have a good match!</p>
<p>Suga smiled at his phone screen, then slid the device into his pocket and walked out the clubroom door to meet up with Daichi and his new teammates.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. KT</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The practice match was over, they won, and Tobio was officially a Karasuno volleyball club member now. He was going to play setter in an upcoming match! </span>
  <em>
    <span>This is ridiculous... I don’t understand how Sugawara-san can just let me take over like this for the match. He has so much more experience than me. It’s clear by how he knew how to help me figure out Hinata. I can’t believe he gave me advice and said those things. His experience definitely outweighs nearly everything he said! I can’t just magically know how to handle people! </span>
  </em>
  <span>Tobio scowled and thought to himself while everyone packed up the gym equipment and headed out to go home. Looking around as he walked out of the gym, he saw Sugawara-san heading down the hill towards the little family owned convenience mart Karasuno students frequented. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio called out to him and saw him stop, turning around with a puzzled expression. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Shit. What am I going to say to him? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Jogging down the hill, Tobio caught up and stopped short, bending over and taking a moment to catch his breath. He glanced up at Sugawara-san while his breathing calmed down, getting a little distracted by the play of light in the other’s hair with the sun setting, sending little rays of light dancing around. Sugawara-san almost looked ethereal. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What the hell? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Tobio stood up abruptly, not wanting to linger too long on thoughts like those in a situation like this. He had respect for Sugawara-san and really needed a mentor. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I can’t scare this senpai away too. I can’t and won’t annoy him. I don’t want him to discard me. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Tobio didn't pause any longer and just said the first thing he could think of to explain the setter situation for their upcoming match, “I know I’m automatically in the starting lineup for this game, but I’ll work hard to earn a regular spot from now on!” </span>
  <em>
    <span>Wait, what? Oh no, am I antagonizing him now?!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sugawara-san blinked in response then answered, “Huh?” Tobio mimicked him with his own sound of surprise, but Sugawara-san continued, looking sheepish with his hand coming up to tangle in the hair on the back of his head, “It’s just that you took me by surprise because I thought you couldn’t care less about what I thought.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>What? “</span>
  </em>
  <span>Why is that?” Tobio tilted his head, a blank expression gracing his face with his confusion. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You have way more stamina and raw ability than me, hands down.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio scowled and leaned towards his senpai, losing a bit of control over his voice with mild frustration, “you can’t compensate for actual experience that easily. Also...” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sugawara-san’s shoulders hiked up to his ears at the sudden movement and attitude shift, but he relaxed them a moment later when Tobio leaned back again, stopping before finishing what he was going to say. Tobio heard his new teammates coming down the road and he pulled a grumpy face at the incoming intrusion to their conversation. Sugawara-san looked like he wanted to say something, his gaze on Tobio was quizzical, like he was looking for an answer to some sort of mysterious question. He couldn’t tell if Sugawara-san was offended or not or anything, really. Understandably, they had just met this week when school started, but it was hard to get a read on what the other might be thinking. Despite his poor skills in responding appropriately to others, he read people and situations pretty well because of his analytical mind for his surroundings. Since he didn’t talk about much besides volleyball, most people just assumed he was only hyper analytical about volleyball. But that wasn’t true. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What are you going to say? You look like you’re about to burst with it, whatever it is...</span>
  </em>
  <span> Sugawara-san was way less transparent than he showed, Tobio could tell, and it frustrated him. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Crap, I still needed to clear this up! I didn’t fix anything yet... </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He decided to finish what he wanted to say quickly, before he lost all his nerve, “T-the other players. T-t-trust you.” He was able to admit. Sugawara-san’s face lit up with a gleefully incredulous smile that Tobio, again, had trouble deciphering. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Was that ok? I think it was ok. “</span>
  </em>
  <span>That’s why I won’t lose.” He ended up saying, holding his determination steady as if one false move would have Sugawara-san eating him up alive and spitting him out easily. But Sugawara-san simply replied that he wouldn’t lose either, smiling back with his own passive brand of determination. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ah. I can read that expression. I think I’m in the clear. He doesn’t hate me.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The others caught up right after, and they all stood by the mart to wait on meat buns that Sawamura-san was apparently buying for everyone. Sugawara-san then lightly inquired if Tobio would be alright facing off against his former middle school teammates, most of whom attended Seijoh. </span>
  <em>
    <span>That’s really kind of him to consider that. But they’re my opponents now. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Tobio looked back up to Sugawara-san’s face, realizing his eyes had drifted downwards a bit, resting somewhere around his senpai’s midsection while he thought about his past relationships with his old teammates. Sugawara-san rubbed the back of his head again, looking sheepish. Tobio reassured him quickly that it would be fine though, his old middle school teammates and him were opponents now after all.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tanaka-san begrudgingly mentioned his frustration at Sugawara-san being replaced for the match. Tanaka-san seemed like the kind of guy who put a lot of stock into maintaining healthy senpai-kouhai relationships and formalities; but not in a oppressive way, more endearingly supportive, protective. Tobio watched his setter senpai’s face fall into a grieved smile, but he perked up and put on a brave Cheshire Cat grin. Then he slapped his hand to Tobio’s shoulder, who flinched, and declared that they must showcase how much Tobio had changed since middle school. It was all very reassuring and unexpected. Tobio didn't really know what to make of this type of unconditional support.  </span>
  <em>
    <span>This really does seem ok. Sugawara-san is so strong, I really like him. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sawamura-san walked out of the mart at that moment, handed out the buns, and affirmed Sugawara-san’s sentiments as well as he heard them talking. When they were done eating, he asked if he could speak with Tobio afterwards before he headed home. Tobio just nodded in agreement, thinking to himself, </span>
  <em>
    <span>what will this be about? </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Only a few minutes later Tobio found himself sitting with Sawamura-san and Sugawara-san around a small table in the family mart. Tobio was visibly nervous, sitting stiff and straight backed across from his new captain and vice captain. Sugawara-san must have noticed his discomfort, because he gave him an easy smile. Tobio felt himself relax against his chair at that smile. It turned out that he didn’t need to worry anyway as they just wanted his opinion on what starting position would work best for Hinata. They strategized together for a while and decided on middle blocker, ultimate decoy. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As they were leaving to finally head home, Sugawara-san turned around on the road outside the shop to face Tobio. It was dark now, no one else was one the road, just an occasional passerby; but Tobio didn’t mind. He took in Sugawara-san’s appearance as he was lit up by the streetlights and standing casually with his hands on his hips. He still looked slightly otherworldly, like he would just skip away suddenly to find a secret knot in a tree and with a push, disappear into a completely different realm. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What am I thinking?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Would you mind if we talked for a little while?” He seemed mostly relaxed, but there was a bit of an edge to him that Tobio couldn’t place. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Hmm, I thought that strategy meeting went well. What else could possibly go down today. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Realizing he didn’t answer right away, lingering and lost in his own world, Tobio gave a few short nods and stepped a bit closer so they could talk comfortably.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sugawara-san cleared his throat, looked at the ground for a second, then looked back up to Tobio to meet his eyes. He tilted his head minutely as if to ask a question, but then straightened out again, “hmmmm, this is a bit harder than I thought it would be. It’s been a really long day. So much has happened. I’m kind of reluctant to add to the drama, to be honest.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio had absolutely no idea what was going on at this point. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh. I did something again? But, no, I thought we cleared things up with the setter situation. Did I say something dumb during the meeting? Maybe, but I’ll never know. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Tobio grew increasingly fidgety while stuck in his mind. He shifted in very minor movements, shifting his weight between feet and adjusting a jacket sleeve, but Sugawara-san noticed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh. Wait, no. Please don’t think you’re doing something wrong, Tobio-kun.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>Tobio-kun?!</span>
  </em>
  <span> Tobio’s attention snapped back to Sugawara-san’s face, his mouth falling open slightly at the nonchalant use of his given name. Sugawara-san looked back at him directly and an amused smile crept onto his face. It was playful, almost flirtatious. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio’s jaw just dropped a few millimeters more and Sugawara-san huffed a laugh. “I think it’s okay though. A lot has happened, but I think it’s okay. I’ll just show you, that may be for the best.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sugawara-san unzipped the club jacket he was wearing and tugged his arm out of a sleeve. He turned the inside of his forearm towards Tobio, watching his face carefully. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio’s brain short circuited. He stared for several, stilled seconds with an intense gaze, his mouth still hanging open slightly at the very, incredibly familiar soulmate tattoo on Sugawara-san’s arm. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Crown, scepter, flowers, words, three. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Tobio had not spent much time thinking about his soulmate tattoo. He got his, like everyone else, when he turned fifteen. It was right in the middle of the confusion and anguish of his middle school teammates abandoning him. He remembered clearly being distraught over the imagery, like it was cementing some sort of cosmically cruel fate that he was to be an abandoned, tyrant king. But once he got past the initial shock, he realized that it must not be completely true. The tattoo proved he had a soulmate. That he had someone. Someone he could maybe rely on to be there for him. He was confused when he discovered that it was actually two someones, but that didn’t bother him. He never looked up what the words meant as he was too shocked by the imagery and then the multiple bond too. He knew he was hard to get along with, if his middle school experience taught him anything at all, so he also never dwelled on what he would do if he had actually met his soulmates; and now one was standing right in front of him. One that went out of their way to show him that they were soulmates. </span>
  <em>
    <span>How incredible are you? </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio’s mind was blown with this information and he couldn’t even begin to know what he was supposed to do in this moment. He looked back up to Sugawara-san’s eyes, who was clearly still watching him closely for any kind of reaction. But he also had this determined sort of gaze, like he wouldn’t back down from whatever was going to happen. Tobio immediately appreciated this look. He turned his attention back to the tattoo and just reached out to touch it with both hands. His fingers slowly caressed and traced the familiar floral patterning. He heard a small gasp from Sugawara-san, but he didn’t pull away and Tobio kept up his motions with his eyes still fixated on the tattoo. He got lost in the moment, lost in the feeling of clear air flowing serenely around him and lifting him up into the flow as well. Sugawara-san started getting goosebumps along his arm and Tobio snapped out of his daze.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, sorry!” Tobio let go, gently, as if he was afraid he was going to break some very delicate china that he had been examining. “Um, how?” </span>
  <em>
    <span>Smooth.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sugawara-san smiled and pulled his arm back into his jacket sleeve, “Just yesterday, actually. I was a bit surprised when I caught a peek at your tattoo... I know it’s a lot, but, I was kind of hoping we could figure it out...together?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes!” Tobio answered a bit loudly and cringed at himself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Pfft” Sugawara-san’s hand flew up to his mouth to hide his laugh.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio’s mouth drifted open again, as he took in Sugawara-san’s very pleased looking face. He wore this easy, delighted expression. It looked open and happy and pretty. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ugh. Am I going to think like this now? I just can’t stop it. Do I want to stop it? </span>
  </em>
  <span>“I-I don’t really know what to do... or what you expect?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmmm” Sugawara-san hummed in agreement, rocking around on his feet a little and holding his own hands behind his back, “yeah, let’s just take it slow and get to know each other? If you want, then, maybe we can go out together somewhere?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes!” Tobio nodded a few times, and he was able to control his volume this time. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Is this happening? At least I didn’t yell at him this time. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He saw Sugawara-san smirk, the whole image of him standing there like that, talking like this, was entrancing and a little overwhelming. It made Tobio anxious as he didn’t want to mess up. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I need a distraction. </span>
  </em>
  <span>“Sugawara-san.. do-do you know the third?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sugawara-san’s eyebrows shot up, maybe in surprise at the sudden change in the conversation’s direction; but he replied with a calm tone of voice, “You can call me Koushi, if you want. Or even just Suga, if that’s more comfortable for you.” He paused briefly, like he was making sure Tobio was on the same page, but in true Tobio form, he maintained his stoney expression and didn’t respond back, “but, no. I haven’t met our third soulmate. Have you?” </span>
  <em>
    <span>I wonder who they are? I’ve never talked with anyone about soulmate tattoos before. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No idea... I haven’t talked with anyone about soulmate tattoos before,” Tobio decided to come clean, shuffling his feet and glancing about the space around them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga-san’s eyes widened with the admission, “Oh, I see. Well.. You have me now. Please don’t feel like you have to hold back. If you wanted to talk about it, or have questions, you can ask me... is what I mean.” He looked mildly embarrassed, a light blush dusting his cheeks. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Cute. I wonder what he got embarrassed about? Though I don’t think he meant that I can just ask him that.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tactfully, which was a miracle in itself, Tobio refrained from asking Suga-san about his embarrassment and just gave a small smile of thanks.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So... can I walk you home? It’s getting kinda late.” Suga-san recovered, and tilted his head in question. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes!” Tobio replied, nodding quickly a few times. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They started off in the direction of Tobio’s house, Suga-san keeping pace with Tobio since he didn’t know where they were going. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Where does Suga-san live? Who makes up the rules for this stuff. Are we dating now?! Oh fuck. I forgot to ask?! </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Despite Tobio’s inner monologue and mild panic, the walk went by relatively fast. It was mostly silent, Suga-san asking a few questions here and there and Tobio giving mostly short answers, due to his panic. But Suga-san didn’t seem to mind his clipped responses, and even seemed to anticipate this level of anxious apprehension. He carried himself gracefully, as if without a care in the world, navigating Tobio’s social awkwardness easily. Suga-san walked with him right up to his front door, chatting about something or other, but honestly, Tobio had taken in so much new information that day already, he was overloaded. Simple as that. Suga-san must be a magician, or mind reader, or psychic, or something, because he never pushed too much and knew exactly how and when to retreat and give Tobio space. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, I’ll see you Monday at practice. I know we’ve already exchanged phone numbers, so message me whenever you’d like to, okay?” Suga-san smiled easily at him, airily, his eyes scanning Tobio’s face in interest for answers that Tobio had no idea if were there or not. He didn’t think he was that open of a book. But then again, with the way Suga-san could read, maybe there’s the truth. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thanks for walking me home, Suga-san” Tobio smiled that small, unsure smile again, “I-Umm- please get home safely”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga-san grinned, “I’ll be fine Tobio-kun, thanks” and winked at him before turning around and walking off down the road towards his own home. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>What. Did all that just happen? He winked.. at .. me..? </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio basically ran through his house and into his room, without even bothering to say he was home to anyone. No one else was home anyway. He dove onto the bed and buried his face in his pillow, completely overwhelmed at this point. Complaining loudly to only himself, he got ready for bed then laid back down, trying to calm his rampaging mind. He let out a long, slow, sigh, going through the events of the day so he could clear up his thoughts and sleep. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m a setter on a volleyball team now. At least one of my teammates trusts me. I get to bolster the shrimp’s skills and we can win this way. Suga-san is an angel. I found one of my soulmates. I don’t think I’ve scared him away. I think there’s a chance this will work out. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Then he finally drifted off to sleep, less stressed than before, and ready for new challenges the following week.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. SK</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was Tuesday, the day of the match against Seijoh. It felt like a little weird watching his teammates from the benches instead of being on the court. But Suga was also really excited to see that lightning fast quick attack again. </p>
<p>The first set was, admittedly, a disaster. Hinata was all over the place with his nervous energy, fumbling around throughout the entire set. Only after he hit his serve into Tobio’s head and dealt with the subsequent fallout did he regain some semblance of normalcy. Suga was shocked when it happened, immediately sucking air through clenched teeth and thinking of his soulmate’s head, which just had to be aching from the impact. He almost stepped in when Tobio turned and started for the short offender, but waited to see what he would do instead. Their relationship was incredibly new. They hadn’t even discussed what it was, exactly. Suga felt it was quite fragile, especially given where they were right then, facing off against Seijoh. He didn’t want to stomp all over any interpersonal skill building that Tobio needed to achieve. So he just supervised. </p>
<p>The rest of the team hadn’t picked up on the fact that they were soulmates yet. Except for the other third years, whom Suga confided in, and maybe Ennoshita and Tsukishima. He suspected as much from a few strange glances and quick double-takes at tattoos in the clubroom where everyone changed. If they knew, they didn’t say. Suga didn’t really care for keeping secrets like this, but he didn’t go out of his way to make some sort of grand announcement. He hadn’t talked with Tobio about anything since the night he confessed in the first place. Suga wasn’t too worried about their radio silence though as Tobio seemed anxious and unsure of his footing with the team in general. It was probably just too much. Suga didn’t want to push it, and had to remind himself to take it slow.</p>
<p>He was pleased that Tobio only intimidated Hinata and verbally knocked some perspective into him without getting overly physical. Regardless, Hinata’s soul looked like it was about to leave his body and Suga stifled a laugh as Takeda-sensei asked if he should intervene. He just reassured sensei that it would be fine, probably. <em> My soulmate definitely isn’t boring. </em>Suga thought as he smiled on at his teammates’ continuing shenanigans.</p>
<p>Suga watched with gleeful exhilaration as his teammates walked off the court after winning the second set against Seijoh. Suga grinned and celebrated with his teammates as they exchanged high-fives, and gave a few ‘good job’ slaps for good measure. Daichi and Ennoshita were talking quietly by the benches and Suga started listening in when Tobio walked up to them and mentioned that Seijoh wasn’t using their main setter. Apparently, Tobio had been listening in on Daichi and Ennoshita as well. Suga raised his eyebrows curiously and glanced around the gym wondering what their main setter would be like, but he didn’t see anything that unusual or unsettling. He hummed in consideration of the gym and looked back at Tobio, who seemed a little on edge as he spoke to his teammates. But he supposed that could be attributed to his recent blow to the back of the head. Maybe the headache finally caught up to him.</p>
<p>Loud cheering suddenly filled the gym, drawing the attention of nearly everyone to find the source. Finding the source almost immediately, Suga narrowed his eyes at the newcomer. He was tall, probably at least six feet and very attractive with swishy light brown hair. He had big, warm chocolate brown eyes, and a handsome face. There was no way he was a first year student, probably a third year, like himself. Suga noticed almost immediately after taking in his looks that he wasn’t wearing an armband or any covering and his soulmate tattoo was exposed on his forearm. From a distance, Suga couldn’t tell what it was exactly, but it was relatively the same size as his own; and he was stunned to see someone so brazenly exposing such an intimate part of themselves during a sports event. It was uncommon. Athletes tended to cover up obvious tattoos during games out of politeness, so they didn’t potentially distract the opponent unfairly. People tended to naturally clue into exposed soulmate tattoos. Suga was a little taken aback by his presence overall, which seemed more electric than normal for just another ballsy, pretty boy. Maybe it was the dominant energy emanating from him as he talked with his coach. Shrugging it off, Suga tuned back into his teammates when Tanaka asked Tobio if he knew the ‘nice guy’. Suga smiled at Tanaka’s apparent jealously over the female attention the pretty boy received. However, Tobio frowned deeper and quickly explained that he was a super aggressive setter and extremely skilled. Not that Tobio frowning was uncommon, but the acknowledgement of a rival player's skills was a bit more forward of him than usual. Tobio seemed to be honest to a fault, so it was a little worrying.</p>
<p>“And he’s got a terrible personality,” Tobio stated, glowering across the gym.</p>
<p>“<em>You’re </em> saying that?!” Hinata interjected incredulously.</p>
<p>Tobio continued, “maybe even worse than Tsukishima.” </p>
<p>Hinata replied that he must be really bad and Tanaka asked if he knew him from middle school. Tobio confirmed the information as his former senpai turned towards them from halfway across the gym and called out, “yahoo Tobio-chan! Long time no see!” with an unassuming smile painted on his face in greeting, yet still somewhat sinister, “so nice to see you! Still doing the king thing?” </p>
<p>Tobio flat out ignored Oikawa and continued to warn his teammates of his skills while unconsciously adjusting the band on his arm. This was a habit Suga had noticed before, but couldn’t quite pick apart if it was nerves, stress, or other random, unknown, ailing subconscious feeling. </p>
<p>Oikawa’s coach told him to warm up and he did so with a backwards glance at Tobio, sinister smirk still etched on his face. Suga watched the entire exchange silently, frowning, almost feeling a small buzz or thrum in the air of the gym. There was unnamed tension swirling around like an eerie fog drifting into town. Tobio had yet to tell him any deep, dark, secrets, but Suga had a feeling some of the more colorful ones involved Oikawa in some way or another. However, Tobio looked like he was pointedly ignoring Oikawa as best he could, without any spare glances in his direction.</p>
<p>A little later, the two teams were most of the way through their third match with Karasuno winning <em> and </em> at match point when Oikawa was finally warmed up enough to join the fray. Suga watched Oikawa closely, whispering a stunned “what” when Oikawa mumbled some inspirational nonsense to his teammates then tossed the ball high in the air and delivered a breathtakingly powerful serve that blasted over the net and slammed directly into Tsukishima’s arms. Suga had seen its trajectory immediately and knew Tsukishima wouldn’t be able to receive that serve. He stared in shock on the sidelines as Oikawa commented from across the net, confidently, that he knew exactly which of the Karasuno players were poor receivers and basically boasted of his plans to target them with his serves like some kind of volleyball overlord. Suga peered at Oikawa, his face shifting from shock to anger as he realized that The latter had precise and practiced ball control and could easily make good on those threats. </p>
<p>Oikawa very smugly sent the next serve to Tsukishima again as if he was saying, ‘see this gaping hole in your defense?’. Suga scowled and crossed his arms, watching moodily as Daichi changed the positions of his crows on the court to put them in better placement to try to receive the killer serves. However, it seemed like Oikawa wasn’t phased in the least and he simply smirked at the position change then tossed the ball high in the air again. Taking it all in carefully, Suga analyzed his form like a hawk in an attempt to understand the sheer level of pinpoint accuracy Oikawa possessed. </p>
<p>That’s when he saw it clearly, the tattoo, subtly catching and reflecting the bright lights of the gym. The familiar crown and scepter surrounded and engulfed by beautifully colored dahlias and chrysanthemums; everything intricately and ornately weaved together in an eye catching harmony. Three words inscribed in Latin hid among the imagery, but they weren’t easily noticeable unless a good amount of time was spent searching the tattoo. Most people wouldn’t even realize that it represented a three person soulmate bond since the words were so well interwoven with everything else. It just seemed like an overly elaborate tattoo with some sort of royalty motif. Regardless, Suga registered the tattoo in the back of his mind as the rally continued and Hinata scored the winning point by spiking the ball supersonically right past Oikawa’s shocked face. Suga hadn’t even realized that they’d finally received his serve in the first place.</p>
<p>Karasuno was elated and immediately sought recognition and feedback from Takeda-sensei, in which Suga went on autopilot to help the new advisor with post match volleyball etiquette. It was after Takeda-sensei was done talking and everyone dispersed a little that Suga paused and his brain caught up to his surroundings.</p>
<p>Panic. </p>
<p>Gay panic? Suga wasn’t sure, but he knew that as soon as this practice match was over he needed to text Daichi immediately for backup. Wait, they won the third set, the match <em> was </em> over, but Suga barely registered the feat. He went through the motions of cleanup with his teammates afterwards without really paying attention to what he was doing, a typical smile plastered on his face. All he could think of was pretty brown eyes and tall legs and mind- blowingly powerful serves and nasty smirks and competitive glares that lit up a haughty face so nicely he couldn’t help but stare a few times. Luckily, Suga didn’t worry about being noticed by the subject of his newfound discovery since he was sidelined for the majority of the practice match anyway and he doubted he gained much notice. Plus he was wearing his armband out of general politeness and for Tobio’s sake. Even the lingering charged energy thrumming throughout air probably wasn't picked up by his new soulmate during the heat of the match. Probably. </p>
<p>Tobio! The realization hit him like a ton of bricks. Suga’s panic bubbled up to the surface again and his eyes shot directly to Tobio, who was hanging around with Hinata and Tanaka by their gym bags. Suga froze, and just stared at his dark haired soulmate, praying that he wouldn’t look his way and see his clear-as-day panic stricken face. He sucked in a breath, realizing he hadn’t been breathing evenly and scanned Tobio’s countenance. He seemed fine. He looked mildly happy, or less grouchy at least, probably from winning the match. <em> Did he see the tattoo? Does he know? Honestly, how could he not?! I bet he saw it. Well there’s nothing I can do about it now but talk with him later. </em>Suga frantically thought to himself, and looked down to his own tattoo briefly. It was hidden under an arm band, his arms halfway-deep in a gym bag used for carrying water bottles and other supplies. Suga shook his head to break his own spiraling head space, and zipped up the bag.</p>
<p>Looking up from packing water bottles, he spied a couple of odd looks from Daichi and Kiyoko, and even a quick glance exchange between the two. He was caught and he wondered if maybe this would make it easier if they already knew something was off. He was sure no one else noticed. Daichi raised his eyebrows questioningly from where he stood collecting practice jerseys from everyone in the gym while Kiyoko stood beside him, watching too. Suga flashed them a bright smile but it very quickly turned into a grimace. Daichi’s eyebrows hiked even further into his hairline and Kiyoko’s face unintentionally mimicked his grimace. <em> Welp. </em> Suga thought to himself, <em> no hiding it now or any longer either... </em>he pointedly dug his phone out of his pocket and focused on the screen, further ignoring his friends’ faces.</p>
<p>
  <b> <em>Group chat with Daichi, Asahi, and Kiyoko “ultimate senpai crows fourever”</em> </b>
</p>
<p><b> <em>Sugaaa </em> </b> <b> <em>5:02PM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>I know who my last soulmate is...</p>
<p><b> <em>Sugaaa </em> </b> <b> <em>5:02PM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>I’m panicking! And I thought Tobio was a shocker!</p>
<p><b> <em>Sugaaa </em> </b> <b> <em>5:02PM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>what do I do?????? </p>
<p><b> <em>Sugaaa </em> </b> <b> <em>5:02PM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>why seijoh?! Who needs that right now?! NOT ME! That’s who doesn’t! </p>
<p><b> <em>Dadchi </em> </b> <b> <em>5:03PM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>Suga, calm down... it can’t be that bad... besides, you know you don't have to do anything about it now. Let’s just finish packing everyone and leave and get you some space maybe?</p>
<p><b> <em>Jesus </em> </b> <b> <em>5:03PM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>aw don’t worry, u were wearing ur band right? They prbly didn’t notice..?</p>
<p><b> <em>KiYOLO </em> </b> <b> <em>5:03PM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>Suga-kun, are you ok? Take some breaths, it kind of looks like you’re not breathing... It’s wonderful you know who it is! Are you going to talk to them? Can I ask who they are? Seijoh’s not that bad.. it’s just a rivalry after all</p>
<p><b> <em>Sugaaa </em> </b> <b> <em>5:04PM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>unfortunately.. I think this all just got way too complicated. The thing with Tobio is so new and all this is NOT going to end well.. I can see it.. like, disaster alert</p>
<p>Suga put his phone away, and glanced at Tobio. He was putting away some brooms with Hinata now, seemingly oblivious to their shared plight. <em> How the fuck am I going to approach him about this?! Ridiculous! How am I going to keep up with these two? Why two?? Why are they both so hot? Am I being punished? Who wanted foresight anyway, universe?! </em></p>
<p>Broken from his reverie from a light tap on his shoulder, he startled and looked around at whoever was seeking his attention.</p>
<p>“Are you ok Suga-san?” Tobio left his hand lingering on Suga’s shoulder for just a moment longer than usual, especially for him. <em> Progress, </em>Suga thought and shared a wide smile with his soulmate. </p>
<p>“Oh, yeah, I’m fine. Just thinking about the match,” he tried to keep it light, since Tobio spooked easily and Suga was under the impression that this was not the best place to reveal that he knew of their third soulmate. Especially since said soulmate was possibly a narcissistic, egotistical, volleyball-loving tyrant who openly mocked and belittled Tobio on the regular. Suga held onto the tiniest grain of optimism that Oikawa wasn’t nearly as bad as all that, and just kept up a facade to intimidate other players, particularly Karasuno players. He also still held onto some hope that Tobio hadn’t noticed his former senpai’s blatantly displayed tattoo, but that seemed like wishful thinking. Reminding himself that panicking over the larger issue won’t help him now, he came to the decision to focus on ensuring Tobio was alright. Clearly, Tobio had noticed some of his panic, but it wouldn’t help to get him wrapped up in it too.</p>
<p>“O-okay Suga-san,” Tobio stared at the space right above Suga’s eyebrows instead of making eye contact. </p>
<p>“Hey, let’s head to the bus, are you gonna sit with me?” Suga bumped his shoulder against Tobio’s briefly, trying to ease the tenseness gathering there in the shared space and felt a little tingle from the touch. He smiled warmly at Tobio then and tilted his head in question. He wasn’t sure if it was the right move, since he could tell Tobio was still nervous about having him as a soulmate, their own discovery still being fresh; not to mention the unknown factor of whether or not Tobio had realized Oikawa was their soulmate too.</p>
<p>It took Suga an entire weekend of agonizing contemplation for him to decide not to hold back too much from pursuing Tobio romantically. Everyone knew soulmates were always intended to be romantic. Supposedly, it wasn’t as hard for soulmates to connect, trust, and be comfortable with each other as it was with non-soulmate relationships. But that was just an extra perk of getting involved with your cosmically intended person and it didn’t make establishing romantic relationships that much easier. Everything still required work, obviously. Suga was a bit of a romantic and definitely wanted to pursue his soulmates whom the universe had some reason to connect him with, at least in his opinion. </p>
<p>Tobio’s lips twitched slightly upwards, genuinely, but not quite enough to be an actual smile, and gave a tiny nod. Suga watched Tobio run his fingers up and down his forearm lightly for a second as he looked towards the gym exit then back to Suga. His small non-smile smile still hanging around. Suga recognized that he was trying, too, but it was clear that all his upperclassmen made him nervous. Based on his usual observations of others, Suga knew that Tobio was scared of his teammates thinking poorly of him and abandoning him again. Plus, there seemed to be an added fear of upperclassmen being unsupportive, which Suga still had yet to figure out the reason for that. But Tobio had these little quirks and actions that made these issues apparent, as far as Suga could tell without actually asking. Getting to know Tobio was scarily close to coaxing a feral, injured animal; like one false move would send him scrabbling further away into darker recesses. Realizing he had spaced out briefly, Suga maintained his easy smile and quickly nodded to Tobio in return.</p>
<p>Tobio started off towards the gym exit, Hinata joining him along the way as he made his way out. Suga watched for a moment then pulled out his phone once more, checking for his friends’ responses to his panic. He knew he would eventually have to fess up and tell them who his other soulmate was, but it made him anxious; like an awkward secret that would tip the scale somehow and snowball into a larger problem, or maybe an avalanche of problems.</p>
<p><b> <em>Dadchi </em> </b> <b> <em>5:05PM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>hey hey you know you don’t have to tell Kageyama right away, you know? It’s not just on you to discover your soulmates. That seems unfair kinda, but it’s the truth. Plus, we talked about how you wanted to take it slow with him anyway since he’s so jumpy.. </p>
<p><b> <em>Jesus </em> </b> <b> <em>5:05PM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>mybe Kageyama won’t react as badly as you thnk? </p>
<p><b> <em>Sugaaa </em> </b> <b> <em>5:16PM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>...</p>
<p><b> <em>Sugaaa </em> </b> <b> <em>5:16PM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>it’s Oikawa. </p>
<p>Suga heard a softly gasped “oh” nearby from Kiyoko, who was apparently looking at her phone a few feet away. They made eye contact when he looked up at the sound but she kept her surprised face blank of her actual opinion. He grimaced again and headed towards the exit, not really wanting to talk about this situation in person with his friends quite yet, preferring to hide behind the weird social safety net of texting instead.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. OT</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Tooru leaned back casually against a brick wall by the entrance gate of Aoba Johsai, waiting for Karasuno volleyball team to head past to their bus. He fiddled with his hair, twirling a strand with his fingers and tugging it out lightly to see how much of it was visible at that angle. The practice match proved to be a good idea after all, even though his coach was disgruntled that he could only participate in the last few minutes of the last set. Tooru didn’t care though as he just wanted a chance to see his prodigy kouhai, Tobio-chan, with his new team. He really was surprised when Tobio-chan didn’t show up in his gym for the first day of volleyball club tryouts. He remembered giving his kouhai the cold shoulder and a menacing chat here and there, but Seijoh was a powerhouse school after all. It was shocking that Tobio didn’t attend in all of his volleyball glory.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>During their time together on the same team before he graduated middle school and moved onto high school, he could tell Tobio-chan was more talented than him and it was irksome. Tooru pushed himself harder and harder, relentlessly giving his all to strengthen the powerful skills he now processed in his third year of high school. He reasoned, then, that Tobio also had a few more years to improve his skills. He desperately wanted to see how their play styles compared now. Jealously. It was a simple feeling, but he hated feeling it. The sentiment only grew and evolved more after hearing and witnessing Tobio-chan morph into a tyrant king of the court. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru sighed and crossed his long arms against his chest, still waiting, reflecting on the middle school tournament game. The day he saw the king of the court firsthand be benched and abandoned. It was gross, unseemly. Tooru felt personally offended that Tobio-chan had dragged his old team around that way. But he was conflicted, inwardly, constantly wondering throughout the entirety of that match </span>
  <em>
    <span>how</span>
  </em>
  <span> it happened. Was it his fault? Maybe. But he didn’t want to sit here and play the blame game with himself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He peered up at the sound of approaching voices and smirked. Karasuno’s Captain, Daichi-chan, was talking about some of their shortcomings that they displayed during the match and what they’d need to work on to improve as they strode along as a group. It was a very nice little empowering speech. Grounding and inspiring at the same time. Tooru could immediately tell he was a solid leader. He maintained his relaxed stance against the brick and tilted his head towards the team with that same haughty smirk on his face and complimented Daichi’s assessment. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Right after hearing him, he watched as the small orangey kid and the delinquent looking guy marched up to him with exclamations of ‘great king?!’ and completely harmless sounding threats asking if he wanted to fight them. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Haha! How cute! </span>
  </em>
  <span>Tooru thought to himself and put on a very charming smile, “don’t be so scary” he said and waved off their menacing glares. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru continued when no one responded, “that last block and broad jump of yours was pretty amazing, Chibi-chan!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Huh?! Uhh.. heh..” the shorty fumbled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I only got to play against you for the last few points today, but next time I’m hoping we’ll get to go all out against each other for the whole game,” Tooru continued, smiling his fiendishly charming smile, “oh yeah, I’ll work on polishing my serve too. You guys have a really awesome offense, but everything starts with a solid receive. If you aren’t any good at that, how far do you really think you’ll get?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>All he got in response were stunned, silent, perturbed faces, so he decided to just continue with his commentary, dragging himself away from the wall lazily, “Your combination attack is pretty amazing, but the receivers need to be quicker or you’ll run out of power.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He took a few steps closer, analyzing their unsettled expressions, “after all, I’m not the only guy who can hit powerful serves. The inter-high is coming up. Don’t get yourselves eliminated too soon, okay? You see, I would just love the chance to play against my cute, adorable, and utterly despicable kouhai in an official game fair and square, setter to setter and crush him into oblivion in front of a giant audience!” He concluded, pointing his finger in challenge directly at Tobio-chan. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The younger setter stared back and lightly clasped his forearms like he was defending himself while his face showed he was clearly upset and apprehensive of the situation. Tooru smirked and maintained his seat-on-a-pedestal-like attitude, peering haughtily around them while Chibi-chan argued, “w-w-well! We’re gonna practice receiving extra hard!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru frowned at the small guy and turned to walk away while saying, “receiving isn’t something you can get good at overnight. But I’m sure your captain knows all about that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He glanced back at Karasuno’s captain and gave a dismissive little wave and a knowing smile. His eyes landed briefly on the guy standing right next to Daichi. This silvery-guy looked quite pissed-off and it caught his attention for a moment, but he just kept his pace walking past them. “You don’t have much time until the tournament starts. I look forward to seeing what you’ll do.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He smiled to himself and heard Tobio-chan sound worried and embarrassed, consoling Daichi-chan with “pl-please don’t let him get to you. Agitating others is like a hobby to him.” Tooru had sauntered away too far to hear Daichi-chan’s response to his flustered teammate, that didn’t matter much. However, Tooru looked up at the sky, thoughts flickering through his mind: </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh I wish I could see Tobio-chan’s face right now. I can’t wait to really see what you do on the court.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru found himself wandering over to his best friend Iwaizumi once back in the gym, with all the crows finally gone. Iwa-chan mentioned, “you know, Kageyama got pretty freaking good...”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yep. All that pent up genius of his finally found an outlet. I doubt there’s any way for the normal schlubs to keep up with him anymore.” Tooru agreed blandly with his friend.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?! You’re admitting that he’s better than you?” Iwaizumi asked, staring at him with his hands on his hips.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“At setting, yeah. I don’t think there’s anyone in the prefecture who can top him now.” Tooru replied, tossing a ball nonchalantly up and down, “buuuut, serving, spiking, blocking.. those are a different story. He won’t beat me so easily.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Iwa-chan frowned and scoffed, walking around behind Tooru. Then he threw a volleyball, hard, at Tooru’s back, “you know you can toss as well as him too, you stupid shit!” He made a wonderfully frustrated face at his friend, as Tooru gasped in shock at being hit by a ball. “You’re our setter!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru turned around to look at Iwaizumi properly, “but it’s true! That’s why we have to ruin their receives. No matter how amazing the toss is, it’s all for nothing if the ball doesn’t make it back to the setter.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He continued quietly ruminating his plan for destruction mostly to himself without consulting Iwaizumi, “if we do go up against Karasuno in a tournament.. I can’t wait to totally screw up their entire receiving game so bad that he doesn’t even get a chance to set! Then I’m gonna say to him ‘don’t worry, it’s okay. Even if you’re really good, you can’t win the game on your own.’ Oooh! I so want to say that to him!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru blinked and realized Iwa-chan was frowning at him in disgust. He must have been ruminating out loud without noticing, so he offhandedly asked Iwa-chan, “do you hate geniuses?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This remark made the other scoff and roll his eyes. Tooru watched curiously as his friend picked up another ball and chucked it at him, “smug, pretty boys who make girls fawn all over the piss me off even more!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Mean, Iwa-chan! I can’t help that! I can’t possibly stop that either...</span>
  </em>
  <span> “ow! Prejudice is undignified, Iwa-chan!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Iwaizumi grunted in dissent and continued to chuck balls at Tooru, who let out little yelps of pain and complained loudly for him to stop. The other teammates looked on at the scene, pausing their cleanup, and sighed in unison. One of them mildly admonished the two, but otherwise went back to packing up the net.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru absently ran his hand up his arm and over his soulmate tattoo. He was so caught up in the fuss throughout the day that he hardly noticed the weird charge in the air. However, now that everything was calm and all of the excitement was done, he could tell that it felt different. The thrum of low-key vibrations completely gone and things felt like they were back to the usual status quo. Tooru mentally kicked himself for not paying close enough attention to the sensation earlier. In retrospect, he could tell that it was definitely off from usual. But there was always a mild level of excitement in the air during volleyball matches. Especially with all the fangirls being noisy all the time. Nowadays Tooru secretly cursed his popularity because it drew so much attention and energy from those around him. But it did feel different than the usual energy during matches, he reiterated to himself. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Was it a soulmate thing? Aliens? Maybe Karasuno’s full of aliens! Damn, now I’m even more excited to see them at inter-high.</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. KT</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The team was finally loaded onto the bus, still buzzing with the success of the practice match against Seijoh and little run in with Oikawa-san. Tobio was having a hard time keeping it together at this point. <em> Is this some kind of twisted joke? </em> He mused to himself. He had not failed to notice Oikawa-san’s soulmate tattoo. Especially with the guy flaunting his body around as if he was signaling some sort of landing crew. Now he knew both of his soulmates. The major problem was that there was no way he could feasibly see this working out. Oikawa-san hated him. He seemed to Tobio, at least, very straightforward with this fact. He had even said he wanted to crush him. Tobio wracked his brain, trying to remember a moment since Oikawa-san moved onto high school in which they had a positive exchange with each other. There was none, he was almost certain. <em> I don’t see how I can fix anything with him. Should I tell Suga-san? Why is this so complicated! </em>Tobio stewed to himself for a few moments before he realized where he was and what he was doing. </p>
<p>He was already on the bus, seated and tense in his reverie, next to Suga-san. He subconsciously remembered getting onto the bus and automatically sitting next to his soulmate, as promised. Suga-san was standing in the tiny space in front of his own seat with his arms wrapped around the headrest of the seat in front of him, saying something or other to Sawamura-san who was sitting right in front of them; but Tobio hadn’t caught the exchange. </p>
<p>He only had a few fleeting moments of solitude in the gym between cleaning up, heading out, <em> and </em> facing Oikawa again which was not enough time to fully process the situation. Right after seeing Oikawa’s tattoo, he shoved the information down deep and focused on anything and everything else. He knew he had seen Suga-san acting a little off in the gym, but maybe that was because he didn’t get to play during the match. Tobio was dreading that it might be because he had discovered Oikawa-san as well. <em> Why wasn’t he wearing an armband! His personality is so bad, ugh.  </em></p>
<p>Suga-san abruptly plopped down into his seat and Tobio realized the bus had started to move. The former sighed lightly, as if drained from the long day, and turned his head towards Tobio smiling a small, real smile. It was utterly disarming.</p>
<p>“You were awesome today. Your tosses are so accurate, it’s incredible. I think you and Hinata-kun really surprised our opponents with your freak quick!” Suga-san stated simply. Tobio didn’t relax much, but he was internally grateful at Suga-san’s attempt to ease his stress. <em> I really am like an open book, I guess.  </em></p>
<p>“I figured out who our other soulmate is.” Tobio said quickly, quietly, and a bit too rough. He had a hard time maintaining a calm tone with this information. </p>
<p>Suga-san blinked at him, his eyebrows raising slowly upwards, nearly getting lost in his hair, “Yes. I saw it too. Are you ok? Would you like to do anything about it?”</p>
<p><em> What? </em>Whatever reaction Tobio was expecting, it wasn’t that. He took a moment to take in Suga-san’s countenance. He seemed calm but like he was anticipating something, leaning towards Tobio gently. His hand was resting on Tobio’s arm, which had previously gone unnoticed. Suga-san was so entrancing like this as he sat there, calm, soothing, and completely focused on Tobio, waiting patiently for an answer.</p>
<p>“<em>Are you an angel?” </em> Tobio continued to think of his answer to Suga-san’s question. He wondered how much would be alright to say. Maybe Suga-san wouldn’t want to deal with all this weird baggage he seemed to have with Oikawa-san. Refocusing on Suga-san’s face, he noticed a pretty, pink blush painted across his cheeks, his mouth agape slightly as if a little surprised. <em> “Oh crap! Did I say that out loud?!” </em>Tobio stared.</p>
<p>“Pfft ahaha!” Suga-san snickered at him and covered his mouth with his hands. </p>
<p><em> Twice?! What is wrong with me! Okay, a lot, apparently. “ </em>Sorry!” Tobio rushed to say, afraid of making Suga-san uncomfortable somehow.</p>
<p>“Ahahaha!” Suga-san laughed, and wiped at an eye like he was drying a stray tear, “Tobio-kun, you’re so cute!” </p>
<p>
  <em> Ehhh?! Huh?!  </em>
</p>
<p>Tobio just continued to stare blatantly at his soulmate’s face as he continued to talk, completely halted in his tracks by Suga-san light laughter and bright smile.</p>
<p>“Ah, it’s alright. I kinda get the idea that you don’t have the best relationship with Oikawa-san. But of course, I could be totally off. Can we talk about it? I think it would help...” Suga-san trailed off a little, some of his mirth fading. Tobio was still stuck, frozen in time, staring for a few moments longer.</p>
<p>He closed his eyes and took a long deep breath in and out slowly. <em> I can’t deny him this, can I? </em></p>
<p>“So.. I-I’m worried. I know Oikawa-san h-hates me. He has since middle school. You know, he was captain of the middle school team too and he was so good, even then. I just wanted to learn everything I could from him. He taught me some stuff at first, but then I was subbed in for him during a set. After that, he just refused, I-I guess. I tried lots of times to ask for his help, you know with serves and things like that, but he always said no. Once he almost lost his temper at me. I don’t know what I did and I don’t know what he would have done though because Iwaizumi-san got between us. I just.. I don’t see how I can fix this. What does this mean for the bond? I don’t think he’ll ever be okay with me. I don’t know what I want to do..” </p>
<p>Suga-san nodded along here and there while he was speaking, rubbing light, little circles over his arm where his hand had rested again. It was very soothing, comfortable, and Tobio realized he wasn’t as nervous at the closeness as he thought he would be. It felt natural. Maybe that was the soulmate bond, after all. When he had trailed off on expressing his thoughts, Suga-san hummed in contemplation, and Tobio just waited for any possible answer to his question. But he didn’t really expect an answer. This was another area of uncertainty for him, explaining his inner turmoil. </p>
<p>“Thanks for telling me all that.” Suga-san gave his arm a quick squeeze, “I know it seems kind of hopeless now, with all that’s happened.. but I’d truly like to give the soulmate bond a chance. I used to think about the bond a lot, you know, because it seemed like no matter what happened, it represented that I had a universe-approved chance at having a lasting relationship with someone out there. I mean, obviously everything needs work, right? But the three of us are still connected, despite what happened before, right? Maybe there’s a good reason. Or maybe it’s like a nudge that we should try it out? Anyway, that’s what I think. You don’t have to agree with me or anything like that. I just wanted you to know where I’m coming from. You know, you didn’t really mention what you think of Oikawa-san. What do you think of him?”</p>
<p>Tobio considered his soulmate for a long moment with a blank, edging on contemplative look. He was increasingly impressed with how Suga-san managed to both answer and completely not answer questions at the same time. <em>How does he do that??</em> <em>What do I think of Oikawa? In general? Honestly? He’s hot. </em></p>
<p><em> “ </em>He’s hot.” Tobio ended up blurting out right after thinking it. </p>
<p>This admission sent Suga-san into another fit of laughter, louder than before, especially in the quiet atmosphere of the bus. Tobio startled, shocked by his own utterance and Suga-san’s outburst. He glanced quickly around them, realizing that their tiny bubble of privacy had probably popped. He was right. Several of their teammates were craning their bodies around to see what was so funny to amuse Suga-san so much. Tobio reddened and he scrunched his shoulders up a bit. Sawamura-san had turned around in his seat in front of them, peering over curiously at the commotion.</p>
<p>Suga-san calmed down, but his voice still carried that delighted, bubbly lilt when he answered, “Honestly, I think so too!” </p>
<p>Sawamura-san’s face lit up with open curiosity, “What’s so funny? What are we agreeing on?” It seemed like he was teasing Suga-san somehow. Suga-san just waved away the captain’s curiosity with his hand like it was a fan and he could just waft away any interruptions to his glee. </p>
<p>“Ah. Don’t mind, don’t mind.” He beamed at Sawamura-san genially as the latter shrugged and turned back around, going back to his own business. Tobio was thankful for the deflection as it rescued him from further embarrassment. He couldn’t imagine having to explain his convoluted feelings about Oikawa to anyone else at the moment. <em> I can barely explain them to myself, </em>he thought darkly, a small grimace working its way into his face. </p>
<p>Suga-san released a long, slow sigh of exhaustion after laughing so hard. Tobio would have been mildly affronted by his soulmate’s joy at his expense; on the other hand, he had agreed with Tobio and that fact alone completely made up for it.</p>
<p>“So.. what else?” Suga-san probed, giving Tobio a poke with a finger to his ribs.</p>
<p>Tobio jolted, giving Suga-san a half-hearted death glare, then frowned, “I don’t know.. I really admire him. He’s so skilled. He’s also relentless... I still want to learn from him. Especially that killer serve.” <em> I know I’m only saying things related to volleyball. I just never got a chance to know anything else about him. What do I think of him? </em>Tobio shifted his gaze to linger around the details of the fabric on the seat directly in front of him; little spirals of purples and blues and polka dots. </p>
<p>“Hmmm. Yeah, it is killer. He’s got a lot of that, doesn’t he? I bet he’s a handful.” Suga-san commented, more so to himself it seemed. He smiled at Tobio with an inquisitive glint in his eyes and leaned his head back against the seat, relaxing. Tobio relaxed back too, unconsciously imitating Suga-san’s actions. But it made him feel lighter. He suddenly realized that he was more or less having a normal conversation with Suga-san and he wasn’t feeling very anxious. <em> He makes this so easy. I’m glad. </em>Tobio relaxed further and he smiled, but this time, it wasn’t just imitation.</p>
<p>The bus promptly came to a stop. Everyone was ushered off and towards the gym to have a post match meeting. Suga-san walked in tandem with Tobio, his fingers brushing against the back of Tobio’s hand every once in a while. It was so delicate that he almost didn’t believe it was happening at all. It was becoming so much easier to be close to Suga-san, and he felt like he didn’t even need to try for it to happen. </p>
<p>Suga-san stopped Tobio by tugging his jacket sleeve before they entered the gym. “Hey, I was thinking about it before, and I forgot to ask you.. are you going to tell him?” Suga asked quietly. He looked like he almost didn’t want to ask with his face looking apprehensive, yet at the same time his feelings were indistinguishable. Tobio had no clue as to what that expression meant and just gave up on trying to figure it out.</p>
<p>“No.” He said simply. <em> I just can’t. </em>He didn’t say his last thoughts, but clearly his soulmate was a mind reader. Suga-san scanned his face a bit longer, his eyes narrowed for a flash of a second before he just nodded. </p>
<p>“I won’t either, then, for now. I think.. maybe you’re on to something, and it’s too soon. Or-or the timing isn’t right? Let’s be real here, the timing seems like it’s going to be dicey no matter what.. not that it’s anyone’s fault!” Suga-san clumsily stumbled through his reasoning. It made Tobio grin. <em> Nice to know I’m not the only one who thinks this is going to be rough. It’s crazy how well of a read he has on Oikawa, he’s probably only met him once!  </em></p>
<p>Suga-san gazed at Tobio, a bright smile creeping onto his face, then brought his hand up to the back of his own head and let out a small laugh. “Ah hah.. you know what I mean, right?” He wasn’t really asking, but Tobio nodded anyway, the grin sticking around. This seemed to make Suga-san flustered, as he huffed another sheepish sounding laugh, but kept his eyes keenly trained on Tobio’s face, and added, “Anyway, let’s just see how inter-high goes and maybe by then we’ll have had a solid amount of time to come up with a plan for talking to him or something.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, that sounds alright. Thank you, Suga-san, really.” Tobio found himself giving Suga-san a fond, gentle shoulder bump before high tailing it into the gym. He didn’t want his soulmate to see the color blossoming on his own face. He could certainly feel the heat of it, his cheeks on fire like they were spiteful of how much he wanted to hide it away.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. SK</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was a few weeks later during golden week practice that Suga found himself getting really invested in finding his own way to play as a setter for his team. Tobio inspired him just a week beforehand, when they had a practice match against some of the neighborhood volleyball association. The surly guy was adamant in boosting Hinata’s morale and position on the court. It showed a lot of personal growth. Soulmate or not, Suga was completely charmed by Tobio’s unfiltered morale boosts. They had this unnervingly veracious quality to them that made it seem like any other opinion was completely baseless. To top it off, they were never just flippant praise, but blunt comments that came out like facts. They rarely happened too, since Tobio mostly kept quiet or flat out griped at Hinata, so maybe that was another reason why his words were so potent. Suga often contemplated to himself if Tobio phrased these morale boosts like that purposefully, or if it was completely natural and unintentional. Honestly, it was probably the latter, which amused Suga to no end. The young setter was starting to develop that trust with the team that he clearly craved and Suga was proud of him.</p>
<p>A lot of good things happened the night of the neighborhood match, now that he thought about it: Asahi was literally pulled back into the club by their new, brash coach, Ukai. Nishinoya, their prized libero, rejoined and had improved his receives on top of that, and Hinata gained confidence in his role as ultimate decoy. <em> And Tobio’s morale boost... and my confession that I was afraid of my sets to spikers being blocked.. I can’t believe how I fessed up to that in front of everyone. Ah well, that’s why I’m doing it my way now. There’s no point in trying to play or set the same way as Tobio. </em>Suga thought to himself while laying in his bed roll. </p>
<p>It was pretty late, and he was using his phone as a flashlight to see while drawing up plays and hand signals on some paper. Everyone else in the room was asleep with light sounds of his teammates’ breathing filling the air. Suga really liked sleep-away camps for volleyball because they were good for honing skills and focusing on making the team work better together. He could tell that the team this year would do great things and had this funny inkling that they had a real chance to make it to nationals even. </p>
<p>He thought back on his recent conversation with Coach Ukai earlier in the evening. Karasuno had a practice match against an old rival school called Nekoma at the end of their week long camp. Suga was suspicious that Coach Ukai was having a hard time deciding who to use as setter for the match, himself or Tobio. He had cornered the unsuspecting man and told him that he should use whoever he thought was best for the game in the starting line up, regardless of anything else. It was obvious that Tobio was a powerful player, a genius, and he could really help the team win more games so they could go further during tournaments. Not being in the starting line up didn’t really bother him as much as others thought it did. He felt that if there were a chance for more games, he would have a solid opportunity to play on the court with his friends at some point, regardless if he was the starting setter or not. Coach Ukai had been visibly stunned at the honest declaration and complimented him sincerely for it. Suga felt good after opening up about his opinions, and besides, it was fun and challenging to work on building up a strong team. He felt responsible for maintaining his teams’ mentality, like a mother hen pecking at the little chicks and keeping them in line.</p>
<p>He smiled to himself as he doodled down another play, scratching out a little rectangle court and little shapes for players. He startled slightly when his phone pinged with a text message. <em> Who’s texting me this late? Everyone I usually text with is here in the room with me, sleeping.. </em>he glanced around quickly, the blanket falling off his head from where it was pulled over. Everything was quiet and still in the room though. He looked at his phone screen and smirked.</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>New chat message from Tobio&lt;3</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p><b><em>Tobio&lt;3 </em> </b> <b> <em>12:52AM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>hey, are you still awake?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Suga giggled quietly to himself, the name he entered for Tobio’s contact information made everything the younger setter say seem a little funnier. Maybe he’d have to change it, if he laughed every time he saw it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b><em>Sugaaa </em> </b> <b> <em>12:52AM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>yeah, sup? I’m surprised you’re texting me. It’s late, you ok?</p>
<p><b><em>Tobio&lt;3 </em> </b> <b> <em>12:53AM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>it is late, wat you doin? </p>
<p><b><em>Sugaaa </em> </b> <b> <em>12:53AM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>just had some ideas for plays, writing them down</p>
<p><b><em>Tobio&lt;3 </em> </b> <b> <em>12:53AM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>o cool. </p>
<p><b><em>Tobio&lt;3 </em> </b> <b> <em>12:54AM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>just wanted to ask you about the match tmrrw. I kno I said I won’t lose, but I wanted to make sure ur alright. Wat will you do if coach doesn’t put you in starting line up?</p>
<p><b><em>Sugaaa </em> </b> <b> <em>12:54AM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>awwwww Tobio-kuuuunnnn! It’s so nice you’re worried about me &lt;3</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Suga heard a loud cough, or maybe a snort, from the other side of the room.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b> <em>Tobio&lt;3 </em> </b> <b> <em>12:56AM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>well, yah. i am... is that ok?</p>
<p><b><em>Sugaaa </em> </b> <b> <em>12:57AM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>it’s definitely ok. I’m fine with whatever coach decides. I’m concentrating on helping build up the team so we’re strong and we can play as many games and as many tournaments as we can. Don’t worry about me being in the starting line up for tomorrow, ok?</p>
<p><b><em>Tobio&lt;3 </em> </b> <b> <em>12:57AM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>well.. coach could put either one of us so</p>
<p><b><em>Sugaaa </em> </b> <b> <em>12:58AM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>Tobio... honestly, you’re the better choice for starting line up for tomorrow.. the team should really use your skills and you have that quick with Hinata. It seems kinda obvious</p>
<p><b><em>Tobio&lt;3 </em> </b> <b> <em>12:59AM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>i kno i’m skilled, ok? But you are too, you kno? </p>
<p><b><em>Tobio&lt;3 </em> </b> <b> <em>1:00AM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>srry, maybe i’m worrying too much. i just don’t kno how ur able to give me so much slack.. in every way too</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Suga was surprised a little by this admission. <em> Giving him slack? Is he more worried about the soulmate bond than other things? I didn’t think he would prioritize it this way. I don’t even know if he even likes me that way.. or any way, really..? </em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><b> <em>Sugaaa </em> </b> <b> <em>1:02AM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>yeah. I know I’m a solid player usually. I’m not going anywhere.. do you believe me?</p>
<p><b><em>Tobio&lt;3 </em> </b> <b> <em>1:03AM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>yah, i’m realizing it’s true. </p>
<p><b><em>Tobio&lt;3 </em> </b> <b> <em>1:04AM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>hey, after the match, i really want to go somewhere and talk. Will you go with me?</p>
<p><b><em>Sugaaa </em> </b> <b> <em>1:05AM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>ooohhh Tobio-kun! Are you asking me out?! Now?! At 1am?!</p>
<p><b><em>Tobio&lt;3 </em> </b> <b> <em>1:05AM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>yes. Ok i’m going to bed, nite!</p>
<p><b><em>Sugaaa </em> </b> <b> <em>1:06AM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>yes, I’ll go. Goodnight ;)</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Suga stifled his laughter with a hand which quickly turned into a yawn. He shuffled his stuff around to put it away as quietly as he could and snuggled up in his bed roll to go to sleep.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. KT</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Tobio woke up early to his blaring alarm clock, as usual, to get in a run before morning volleyball practice and school. He peered at his clock with half open, sleepy eyes and jolted upright in bed. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh crap! It’s an hour later than usual! Did I set it wrong last night? </span>
  </em>
  <span>He fretted over the clock, silencing it with a sharp smack, and attempted to detangle himself from his bedding. A light ping halted his struggle and he glanced at his phone. Giving up on the bed sheets he lunged bodily and snagged the device off the nightstand to see who would be texting him this early.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was just Hinata. Tobio sighed and laid back down flat on his back, closing his eyes, and still completely tangled up. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Why do I feel so anxious this early? </span>
  </em>
  <span>He just breathed for a moment, trying to calm himself down from his sleepy panic. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was a few weeks after their practice match against Nekoma. He ended up being in the starting lineup for the game, like Suga-san predicted. But the latter reassured him several times over that it was fine. It turned out to be a great match because the team worked out a few kinks along the way. Hinata even learned how to do a normal quick so he didn’t have to rely only on the freak-quick attack. The team was pumped after the match, driving everyone to work even harder than before. The start of the inter-high tournament was only a week away, and the team was busy trying to get in last minute practice. He smiled to himself, thinking of how Suga-san had made some awesome play suggestions and created a whole set of hand signals to use with the team, especially Hinata, to make those plays a success. </span>
  <em>
    <span>They’re so easy too, even the idiot shrimp learned them pretty fast! </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His eyes shot open as realization settled in and he finally woke up enough to process the world around him. It was Sunday, no practice or school. He still planned on going for a run, but he felt glued to his bed by an invisible force that had nothing to do with his twisted up sheets. He had asked Suga-san out. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Today is the day we’re meeting up! </span>
  </em>
  <span>They had planned to meet up for lunch at a cafe that was situated between their houses, but Tobio had never been on something that resembled a date before. He wanted to have a chance to hang out with Suga-san outside of the gym, which he had a hard time admitting to himself, as he was pretty sure he would live in the gym if he could. Tobio took a deep breath and started to methodically work his way out of the trap his bed had become, deciding not to dwell too much on the unknown. He would know it soon enough. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A good run, a shower, a bus trip, and a few hours later, Tobio found himself leaning against the building of the cafe, looking idly at the ground. He casually picked at a loose thread on the side of his black, slightly worn jeans until it came out completely and floated away along the breeze. He tried to follow it with narrowed eyes when he saw Suga-san approaching the cafe. Suga-san gave a bright smile and small wave when he saw that Tobio had noticed him. Tobio just stared for a moment, processing the visual since he usually only saw the other in gym clothes or school uniform. Suga-san wore tight, light blue jeans and an oversized cream and white striped shirt with casual white sneakers. His shirt was barely tucked into the waist of his jeans in the front. He looked effortlessly appealing, and mixed with his naturally graceful way of moving, it was almost too distracting. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Pretty.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio managed to mentally shake himself from the moment and gave a small smile and a short bow, “Hey! Thanks for meeting up with me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hi! Of course, thanks for asking. I actually haven’t been here before, have you?” Suga-san asked as they made their way into the cafe to find seats; but his question was lost in the search for a table. Suga-san sat across from him at a small table for two and looked at the menu casually, tucking some stray silvery hair behind his ear slightly. It was just long enough to hold there, but still short enough that any movement would nudge it free again. Without volleyball as a firm and attention-demanding distraction, Tobio realized he had a hard time not staring at his soulmate. </span>
  <em>
    <span>This is a problem. I don’t even know what to say to him. I feel like I’m caught in his trap, but he’s not even doing anything! What should I do about this? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Tobio mulled over his thoughts while keeping a neutrally blank expression on his face with his lips formed in his typical slight frown, trying not to panic. Suga-san looked up from his menu, maybe at the silence creeping up around the table, and his eyes fell directly on Tobio. He opened his mouth slightly and looked like he was about to ask a question.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I like you.” Tobio blurted. “A lot.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga-san’s mouth dropped a bit further, a soft “oh” escaping out with his clear surprise. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wow,” Suga-san blinked at him owlishly. He just sat for a second, gazing at Tobio like he was not really sure if he was there or not or just an illusion. It was oddly comical to see Suga-san so thrown off the track when he was usually so stable. Before Tobio could even begin to react to the look, Suga-san broke from his trance and continued, “you kinda cut to the chase, don’t you? Sorry, you surprised me a bit. I’m kind of discovering that you do this often,” he smiled warmly at Tobio, who started to turn a little red. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga-san put his menu down and leaned forward on the table as if he was trying to get a better look at Tobio. The latter sat stiffly, not daring to break eye contact, and just waited on his soulmate’s next move. He felt like he was being held in place under a magnifying glass and his soulmate was trying to decide what to do with a very interesting specimen they discovered. Suga-san then rested his weight on his elbows and leaned his head into an open palm, cradling his cheek, as he openly contemplated Tobio, “I like you too, a lot.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio let out a breath he had been holding, not that he had noticed he was doing so during this strange, old western-like face-off of a confession. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh. I just confessed. Oh. He did too.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga-san caught on immediately that Tobio was stuck in time and space and came to the rescue, “I think we should date, then. I want to. Do you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes!” Tobio replied with a few stiff nods. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga smiled warmly at him again, reaching out gently with his free limb, and ran his hand down Tobio’s arm until it reached his hand and gave it a small squeeze. Tobio hadn’t even realized that he had his menu in a vice grip and he relaxed his hands instantly. Suga let go then, and picked up his own menu again as if nothing out of the ordinary just happened at all, “I think I’m going to get the turkey sandwich.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>Turkey? Sandwich?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio let out the smallest huff of laughter that came out more like a sigh, and hid his very red face in his hands. He closed his eyes behind his newly made shield and tried to calm down feeling the heat radiating off his skin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>None of this hiding seemed to derail Suga, however, as he pressed on, “and I think a vanilla milkshake. Wanna share?” Tobio just let out a gruff squeak in response, a tiny sound he didn’t realize he could make. He had never dated anyone before and apparently found the experience to be more overwhelming than he thought. Suga just smiled widely at him, not that Tobio saw from behind his embarrassment barrier. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright, you can come out now, I won’t bite,” Suga laughed lightly and gave Tobio a soft prod. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I seriously doubt that. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Tobio thought to himself as Suga said, “you know, full disclosure, I was going to ask you out right away. After.. after I realized our bond. I know I’ve told you before, but I’m kind of a sucker for the soulmate thing.. I really do want to put in the effort to see if it works.” Suga paused briefly, maybe to see if Tobio had come out of hiding. Tobio peeked through his fingers, his blush calming down and Suga continued, “So.. I ended up not asking you, obviously, cause you ended up asking me. Which I’m still kinda shocked by, to be honest with you. I kind of have a hard time reading you sometimes... anyway, that’s why I didn’t ask. I have this idea that you don’t think you can get along with your upperclassmen? I didn’t want to scare you off, because I was really drawn to you from the start.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio dropped his hands slightly from his face at this point. They hovered in the air right below his mouth which was openly gaping at Suga. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Wow. He seems to know exactly what he wants. He’s underselling himself, he reads me just fine...</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How many people have you dated before?” Tobio asked bluntly, obliviously not answering Suga’s question.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga blinked at Tobio a few times then laughed brightly. “Hah! Tobio! So blunt, wow! Only a few people here and there.. I’m pretty invested in soulmates, so I felt like I couldn’t make any relationships last without finding my soulmates first and trying that out.. man, Daichi and Asahi were right about having to be someone to keep up with me.. didn’t realize it was in this way though..” Suga still laughed as he spoke, that last part a little bit more to himself than Tobio.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Huh?” Tobio questioned, but the waiter came over at that moment and took their orders, so the thought snuck away unanswered.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A few seconds after the waiter left and as they waited on their sandwiches Suga asked, “have you dated anyone before?” He was smirking, almost as if he could read the answer on Tobio’s face. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He totally knows the answer to that question. Is he teasing me?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“</span>
  </em>
  <span>No. I just focused on volleyball before. I mean, I’ve liked people before. But I never did anything about it” Suga’s expression looked mildly surprised by this information.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ohoho! Honestly, don’t hate me for saying this, but I totally assumed you were pretty one track minded for volleyball..” he trailed off airily, and brought his hand up to tuck his hair away again. He took a sip of his milkshake that had been quietly delivered to their table at some point. Tobio honed in on the movement and traced his eyes over Suga’s features. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He’s so beautiful, does he know it? He probably does. It seems impossible that he wouldn’t know.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re really beautiful.” Tobio stated, like it was an obvious fact. Suga choked on his milkshake.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Th-thanks!” He patted his own chest clearing it up from the sudden congestion, and gave a soft cough. He looked back to Tobio’s face and tilted his head inquisitively, “I’m glad you’re into more than just volleyball.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The rest of the date went smoothly, Tobio thought. They took a walk around a park after lunch and chatted about volleyball plays and which opponents would be most challenging for their new team play style. Tobio knew Suga was a really good strategist, but he was even more pleased that Suga seemed to like to talk about strategy with him just as much. He was glad not all of their conversations centered around loaded relationship topics because he felt like he could barely keep up with Suga in that respect. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It’s nice to see that surprised look on his face though.  It’s so expressive, like he’s caught totally unaware of something. It’s a nice look. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Tobio mused to himself about his soulmate, but he didn’t really know how he kept eliciting that expression. He just shrugged it off as a mystery. It didn’t matter as he kept seeing it anyway.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He walked Suga home this time, and wrapped his arms around him briefly while he said goodbye, “thanks for today, it was really nice. I’m glad it’s you.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga came away from Tobio’s hug with that surprised expression again, making Tobio smile genuinely. Suga looked at Tobio’s face as if he was slightly dazed for a millisecond then flashed his own rather disarming smile and replied, “Me too. Get home safely, see you at practice” then retreated into his house. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ugh. I’m never going to get tired of that. I’m turning into a sap. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio turned and walked towards home, feeling elated.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He checked his phone once he was settled in his room, comfortable in the typical, quiet stillness of his house. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh yeah, the shrimp. Oops.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>New chat message from Shrimpy:</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Shrimpy </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>7:10AM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>Yo! Wanna prctice later today???? :D</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Me </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>4:56PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>yo, srry, i was with Suga-san today. Didn’t see your mssg til now.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Shrimpy </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>4:57PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>Suga-san???? WHA?! What’s going on with u 2? OH! Are u making amazing setter plays?!? Awesome!! :O</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Me </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>4:58PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>o actually, he’s one of my soulmates.. we’re dating now.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Shrimpy </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>4:59PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>SIDJNEKFUBAKRHBDKFN BAKAYAMA! WHY DIDNT U TELL ME BEFORE U KNEW UR SOULMATE?!? We’re friends! I could have helped u!! SOULMATES?! U HAVE 2?! Oh weird, me 2. We don’t match tho, I’ve seen yours on ur arm. But it’s SUGASAN?! WOWWWW :OOO </span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Me </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>5:00PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>i just don’t talk about it. i don’t need help?! Why would i ask for your help anyway, idiot.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Shrimpy </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>5:01PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>mean! Whtevr. SoooooooOoOoo how was ur date then? I kno one of my soulmates too... buuuuut I can’t say anything to them yet. They don’t like me.. but I’m gonna change that! </span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Me </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>5:02PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>huh?! I’m not talking to u about my date. But it was really good. u should just tell them. How do u kno they don’t like u? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Shrimpy </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>5:03PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>oh, I kno. But that’s okaaayy! :D I’m more worried about inter-high than that stuff anyway rn. At least I kno who they r and I can figure it out later... I only kno the 1 anyway. Mybe I’ll jsut wait until I kno both. Do u kno both?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Me </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>5:04PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>whatever, idiot. As long as it doesn’t make u lose focus during inter-high. Yah i kno both. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Shrimpy </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>5:04PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>UWAAHHHH! Lucky! Tell me tell me! :O</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Me </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>5:05PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>no.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Shrimpy </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>5:05PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>fine stingyama. But srsly, if u need help, lemme kno, k? :) I gotta go, see you at practice!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Me </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>5:06PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>yah sure, whatever. See ya</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio grimaced at his phone. He was so swept up in figuring out the situation with Suga that he hadn’t even thought about the ramifications of dating someone on the team, soulmate or not. Hinata reminded him of this fact. He wondered who the shrimp’s soulmates were. If the shrimp knew one of them, maybe they were on the team too. He shrugged off the thought. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t affect his play. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>If Tobio had found his soulmate on the same team and maybe Hinata had as well, he wondered about his teams’ soulmates and if anyone else knew theirs too. He knew he saw everyone’s tattoos pretty regularly in the clubroom where they changed clothes before and after practice. He registered the various tattoos in the back of his mind, but never thought to scrutinize them to find matches amongst them. However, Hinata’s comment sort of hit home for him and he wondered if the others looked at tattoos more closely and who might know of him and Suga matching already. A lot of people wore long sleeved clothes, especially Suga, now that he reflected on it. Even though their tattoos were placed in a fairly exposed spot on their forearms, it was covered more often than not. Knowing of his teammates’ tattoos and soulmates might be beneficial though considering how much time he spent with them on the court. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I would bet my whole month's allowance that Suga knows exactly who knows, how they know, and what everyone’s tattoos are...</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio continued to think fondly of his soulmate and their surprisingly devious nature while he wandered into the kitchen to find something to make for dinner.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. SK</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It was the day before inter-high and the team had just finished practice for the night. Most of the volleyball club had left, including Suga’s boyfriend. He felt a weird giddiness thinking about the fact that they were together now and how their date was decently successful. It was only a week ago and not too much had changed, but he was excited that things were finally moving along with the soulmate situation. Lots of people found their soulmates during high school, oddly enough, but most found them during college or during their twenties. The general school of thought on soulmates by professionals was that there seemed to be a subtle force that lured soulmates together, but it was just a theory. Suga just thought it was an easy way to explain the age ranges in which most people met their soulmates to the general public. He kind of liked that he already knew both of his soulmates. It was crazy that he was already in his third year and had met them both within a week of each other. </span>
  <em>
    <span>So strange. Thanks volleyball. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Suga mused to himself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was taking his time getting ready to leave, lazily putting on his shirt and buttoning it up when Daichi and Asahi came into the clubroom. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’re the last ones here” Daichi reported, clearly making sure the freak quick duo didn’t sneak back and stay late to practice. Suga just grinned brilliantly at his best friends. He hadn’t talked to them about his date with Tobio yet and he felt like his secret was filling him up so much it was about to spill. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asahi noticed the look and asked, “What? What happened? Are you nervous for tomorrow?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nope!” Suga beamed at them brightly, “Remember how I mentioned that Tobio asked me out a little while ago? We finally went out yesterday afternoon for lunch!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?! Wow. I wouldn’t have expected that you’d guys meet up so soon. He doesn’t seem like the type to pursue that kind of relationship..” Daichi said, but he trailed off, looking sheepish like he had said something insulting to Suga. The latter just laughed and slapped him on the shoulder a few times, not too roughly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Haha! I know! I agree! I thought it would be this huge uphill battle to get him on board with the soulmate bond we share, since he seems so prickly. Honestly, he constantly surprises me. It’s like, one second I’ll be trying to figure out what he’s thinking, and the next he’ll be saying something completely unexpected. And! Then he’ll say something so innocent and I end up fessing up all my secrets, and then he’ll disarm me by complimenting me somehow.. and his smile. All of it totally throws me off.” Suga began to blush, very prettily, in the orangey lights of the clubroom. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asahi smiled a nice, soft smile at Suga, “You’re quite smitten with him, aren’t you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah.. I suppose I am. You know how you guys always teased me that my soulmates would have to keep up with me somehow? It’s not in the way that I thought it would be, but I think you were right..” Suga absently rubbed his neck with one of his hands, “it makes me wonder how Oikawa is, really.. I wouldn’t have ever expected it, but Tobio is a handful...”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Daichi stared at Suga for a moment, incredulously, like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing his friend say, then burst out laughing. Asahi just watched, putting his hands in his pockets and grinning at them. It took several minutes for Daichi to calm down, and Suga waited, amused, as Daichi leaned his hands on his knees taking some deep breaths.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry. It’s really funny, coming from you of all people.” Suga scoffed and put on a completely fake-offended pout, but Daichi ignored him and continued, “I’d love to be a fly on the wall when the three of you figure it out. It just sounds like pure chaos.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga folded his arms across his body, and continued his fake pout, “you’re really not helping” he stuck his tongue out at Daichi. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah hah!” Daichi just chuckled, “I’m really happy for you. It sounds like you won’t be bored.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey!” He smacked Daichi on the arm playfully. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, I guess the date went well then?” Asahi asked, kind of nonchalant, but Suga knew he was really interested and he beamed at him again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes. Umm.. we’re dating now..” Suga admitted. He was a little apprehensive of what his friends would think of his jumping into a relationship with all the stress of volleyball and keeping up with classes. Ultimately, it was known that he would do what he wanted anyway, but his friends were usually there to support him in his shenanigans and he was secretly hoping for their approval in some way. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh wow!” Daichi responded, looking a little taken aback, but still grinning like an idiot. “I knew it was a date and all that, but I didn’t realize Kageyama-kun was such a Casanova.. to sweep our Suga off his feet so completely!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga stared blankly for a moment and Asahi snickered at Daichi’s teasing. He narrowed his eyes at his friend, scrutinizing him smugly, and teased back, “Well, when you find your mysterious feline friend, I’ll be sure to hand them a broom with your name on it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Daichi just grinned widely at Suga and Asahi, “oh please do”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ugh gross. Forget it, I’ll just shove you both in a closet and leave. You’re getting all sappy on me now.” Suga protested. He knew Daichi was a romantic and would love to be swept off his feet by his soulmate; Asahi too, for that matter. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright, alright, we should head out and rest up for tomorrow. Suga, congratulations on winning over Kageyama’s heart. I’m seriously impressed. You look really happy, by the way, so.. good luck.” Asahi brought his friends back to reality and headed towards the door to leave. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thanks, guys. I’m feeling good about this.” Suga smiled happily and made his way out as well. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He looked over his shoulder and watched as Daichi followed out the door too, then gave him a quick side hug. The captain returned the affectionate gesture, locked up, and they all parted ways to head to their homes. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. OT</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It was the first day of the inter-high tournament. Tooru stood outside the sports complex without his teammates, but surrounded by cute girls. He towered over them and tried to remain polite while they all talked over each other at him and tried to give him random baked goods. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oikawa-san! I made these just for you they’re-“</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh! I totally saw a picture of you in that magazine and it had a little peek of your-“</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The first girl lightly bumped into the other, “chocolate!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mikiko! I saw that picture too! It was so blurry though! I bet we match Oikawa-san! I have flowers too-“ a third girl interrupted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You do not! I think I do!” The second girl griped, clearly annoyed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well I think we should get a look then and find out!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Umm.. I just want a picture with you, Oikawa-san. Can we-“ a different girl asked over the commotion, but she was cut off too.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You like chocolate right? Who doesn’t?! But there’s also vanilla! I made them shaped like volleyballs!” The first girl piped up excitedly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just a small peek? You’re not usually shy about it right? That’s what the magazine said!” Someone else asked, but at this point, Tooru didn’t know who.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah... Yeah.. sure, we can take pic..” Tooru replied, plastering on his signature, dazzling smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The girls started bickering amongst each other about who was going to take the picture when something pelted through the air and smacked him upside the head. Hissing in pain, he grabbed the back of his head and saw a volleyball roll away. He spun around in shock and anger to figure out where the attack came from and was met with Iwaizumi in all his glaring glory who had a terrifyingly intimidating face aimed right at him. The offender gave a murderous, beckoning tilt of his head. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru quickly turned back towards the girls, “Ah! Sorry! I have to go now, maybe next time?” then fled towards his best friend, ignoring the gaggle of disappointed protests they called out after him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Iwaizumi dropped most of the scary front when Tooru caught up to him but still complained, “Really, Shittykawa? Coach was looking for you.” Tooru shrugged his shoulders dramatically and followed him into the stadium.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They met up with the rest of their teammates who were walking across the spectator seats by the volleyball courts. Tooru casually peered down at the courts and caught a glimpse of the Karasuno players. He smirked when he spied Tobio-chan talking quietly with the silvery-guy. He was obviously a third year due to the low number on his jersey. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Hmmm Tobio has a friend other than shorty? A senpai maybe? Number two on his jersey? What position do you even play, I haven’t seen you in a game. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Tooru thought as he watched his upstart rivals. He saw the unknown guy lean slightly towards Tobio-chan, his hand grazing his kouhai’s bicep, and say something more quietly, privately to him. Tooru felt a weird pang watching the two interact and it made him frown. But the feeling passed in a blink as Tobio headed towards Chibi-chan and stood beside him, talking about something that Tooru was just a bit too far away to hear. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rather abruptly, Chibi-chan started exclaiming about an onion head, drawing the attention of the Seijoh team members. Kunimi-chan laughed and said he was talking about Kindaichi-chan. Tooru smiled lazily and leaned on the railing, leering at them. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Chibi-chan sure is cute! </span>
  </em>
  <span>As if the shorty heard his thoughts, he turned towards Tooru who wasted no time in greeting them, smiling charmingly and holding his hand up with a peace sign, “Yahoo! Tobio-chan, Chibi-chan! Having fun with your deviant combination?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He thought he heard Chibi-chan yelp ‘great king!’, but Iwaizumi smacked his peace offering down at the same time. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That hurt, Iwa-chan.” Tooru pouted and rubbed his hand with the other.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>While Tooru was distracted, Tobio-chan had obviously dragged the small fry away and Karasuno went back to warming up on the court. Tooru was a little bummed that he didn’t get a chance to pick at his kouhai a bit more. But he and his teammates had decided to linger and watch the match, so he continued to peer down at Karasuno and started sizing up their starting line up. He immediately noticed they had a libero now, unlike in their practice match before. Apparently Tooru wasn’t the only one scrutinizing Karasuno’s players because he heard some of his team members quietly speculate about the changes to Karasuno’s line up, wondering how it would affect their play from the last time they saw them on the court. He knew his teammates had a rough time with Karasuno during the practice match, but he simply chalked it up to the fact that their main setter and captain, himself, wasn’t present. Therefore, their offensive power level was sliced magnificently. He scoffed to himself, thinking of how Iwa-chan had smacked him upside the head when he mentioned these undeniable facts during their last practice. He later admitted that it came out a little wrong, but it was true that without him steering the ship and bringing out their abilities, they were a little adrift during that match. The sailing analogy had earned him another smack. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Refocusing on the courts below, Tooru plopped down in a seat amongst his teammates. They'd have a good angle on several of the games happening down on the courts, but he was really only interested in one particular match at the moment. He just gazed down at his opponents, analyzing their plays and keeping tabs on them for future reference. He had a feeling they’d win their matches today and his own team would be playing them soon. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As he suspected, Karasuno easily won their first game against a small time school and clearly played for keeps with the ball, striving to win back any point lost.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Man, they're really fighting to take back every point even though they obviously have the advantage over that other team..” Kindaichi commented, then added, “I mean, why? Isn’t it an easy win for them?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru just remarked, “well, it’s to our advantage that we get to see what it looks like when Karasuno is playing like that. No surprises this way.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Waiting patiently to see if they would be going up against Karasuno was a little harder than he expected. He felt a sort of low key buzz in the air, vibrating throughout the gym. One of his team members walked back over to the others and joined them, standing by the railing then peered down at Karasuno too. He reported offhandedly that Datekou just won the match they played against a different small school. Tooru sighed and returned his attention to Karasuno from the stands, watching them shake hands with their newly defeated opponents. He mused to himself about the potential outcome of the next match and how the murder of crows would play. Crossing his arms and slouching moodily in his chair, he wondered if he would see them across the net at all now. The bar was just instantly raised for Karasuno as they had to go against Datekou and their ‘iron wall’ next.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. SK</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Suga wandered outside during their team’s break between matches. He felt really nervous because Datekou was next. The teams’ mental state was strained, especially for the third years; especially for Asahi, their ace. Datekou was the school that beat them in the previous tournament, before they had new players on the team. It had taken a lot of convincing to get Asahi back into the club after their previous loss to Datekou. The ‘iron wall’ blocking strategy was so solid that Asahi was unable to get any spikes past it last time they faced off on the court. He seemed mentally scarred from the experience and was working past it. It was like Asahi had taken all of the blame of that loss on himself because of his unsuccessful spikes, even though no one actually thought this was true. Suga worried about it, especially since they had to face off against that team again in about fifteen minutes and had to think of something to help keep things together and move forward. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He walked along and spied Tobio and Hinata tossing a ball back and forth in a small grassy area outside the sports complex. Suga paused and thought to himself about the new decoy strategy they were using. It was the perfect ploy to make way for wing spikers to score points and get past walls as it distracted the blockers and split their marks. He knew they would use the decoy strategy during the match, but maybe he could have them focus on giving Asahi a boost with it as well.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga approached his soulmate and Hinata, overhearing their conversation a bit. They were talking about Datekou and how Asahi was blocked ruthlessly in the past. Suga remembered telling the two some of that story before Asahi rejoined the club, but he didn’t tell them the whole thing. He smiled to himself, realizing that Tobio had put all the pieces together without snooping around for answers. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I knew he was way more observant of people than he let on.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hinata, Kageyama... do you have a minute?” Suga slightly bowed to his teammates in request, “I’m counting on you, please help us out. Datekou is a strong opponent. Three months ago, they thrashed us with their iron wall block. But now we have our greatest decoy!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hinata looked surprised by the conversation, and Tobio’s eyes widened slightly at Suga. The latter just looked back at Tobio imploringly with determination. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You blazed a trail for Hinata to use. Now I want you to blaze a path for our ace, Asahi!” Tobio stiffened at the request, but seemed like he agreed with how he spaced out a little afterwards. Suga was starting to understand this form of his contemplation, as blank as it seemed, he was probably making a solid plan for Suga’s request in his mind.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hinata looked sheepishly between the two for a moment then, “I-I’ll do my best!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga nodded and smiled at him, then trained his eyes back on Tobio, who was still off in his own mind. Hinata shuffled his feet then said loudly, almost like a squawk, “I’ll give you guys a minute! Excuse me!” and he ran off towards the entrance to the complex. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga sighed as he watched Hinata go and shook his head at his teammate’s crazy energy. He relaxed a tiny bit then, grateful to have a minute alone with his soulmate, but he knew he was still tense from the nerves of the upcoming match. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, we’ll do it, okay? We’ll blaze a path.” Tobio walked up close to Suga, who was now studying the ground with his hands on his hips, radiating stress.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio put his hands on Suga’s shoulders and squeezed a light pressure like he was seeing if there was tension built up there. Suga sighed, dropping his arms to his sides to hang loosely, and just let Tobio do whatever. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After feeling Tobio apply pressure here and there to his shoulders for a minute, Suga finally answered him, “Thank you, I know you can do it. Thanks, really.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio gave him a very easy, relaxed smile and enveloped him in a smothering hug. It wasn’t at all like the brief, timid one he got once before. It was almost as if Tobio was attempting to soothe all of Suga’s stress away by drawing it out for himself through the contact. Suga had never felt more comforted in his life. He reciprocated the hug by wrapping his own arms around Tobio too and they stayed there for a long moment. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ah, another surprise, he’s really comfortable and good at soothing. I wouldn’t have figured him to be a natural at this, but maybe it’s just towards me? Soulmate bond?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio broke the embrace after a little while, and in another surprising move, reached out a hand and ran it through some of Suga’s hair, tucking it behind his ear for him. Suga gaped at him for a second, then smirked playfully. </span>
  <em>
    <span>So smooth all of a sudden, huh?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, let’s do this, and win!” Suga said, determined. It was all the distraction he needed to shake off most of his nerves. He grinned at Tobio, tipping his head towards the entrance of the gym, and they both walked back into the complex to meet up with their team.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. KT</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tobio stood on the court and stared, frowning, at Datekou’s team through the net. Suga-san’s words still echoed in his mind as he thought about the upcoming match. <em> We just need to get all their attention on Shrimpy. But we can’t use the freak-quick right away or they’ll adapt to it like Nekoma did during that practice match. We’ll just use normal quicks for now, and let Hinata grab their attention. He’s good at that anyway. </em></p>
<p>The team seemed alright and ready for the game, especially after a rousing pep talk from Nishinoya-san. Tobio knew he could rely on him to receive spikes that were blocked by the ‘iron wall’ and use that to set up another play. He was glad his team had such a reliable libero now.</p>
<p>After the first ten minutes of the set, Tobio knew Datekou was going to be a challenge. Only a few tosses in and he saw how their read-blocking nearly prevented Hinata from being used as a decoy. The blockers watched which player Tobio was setting the ball to before they jumped to intercept. <em> But can they keep up with his speed? </em>Tobio thought and decided that it was time for the freak-quick. He tried to keep up a nonchalant stance as he told Shrimpy the plan so he wouldn’t draw attention to them. It only worked a little, as his tiny teammate practically vibrated with anticipation to finally hit the super fast toss. </p>
<p>“It feels like it’s been ages. I want you to go in using your best jump and fastest speed. I will bring the ball to you.” Tobio told him with a confident smile. Hinata just stared at him then started nodding quickly in agreement, seeming way too hyped up.</p>
<p>Tobio ignored his spastic teammate and glanced around the court, analyzing the players’ and coaches’ moods. <em> Get ready. I’m about to draw all of you in so you can’t look away from number ten. </em></p>
<p>Tobio carefully set the stage for his plan, delivering a lightning quick ball directly to Hinata’s downward swinging hand. Shrimpy slammed it down the left side of the court so rapidly that the other players hadn’t even seen it and they all stood around aimlessly. </p>
<p>Tobio pumped his fist in victory while Hinata yelled “yesssss!”</p>
<p>Catching his breath, he peeked around the court to see if his plan was taking effect. It seemed like everyone on the opposing side was stunned into a mild stupor, trying to figure out what happened. <em> Perfect!  </em></p>
<p>Some rallies later, even after getting into a mild argument with Tsukishima and watching Hinata-boke serve the ball into the net, they were still maintaining their small lead on Datekou. Hinata was finally in the front row again and Tobio knew this was their chance to throw in another freak-quick despite the little middle blocker standing directly across from Datekou’s tallest blocker, number seven. The perfect moment came up fast as Nishinoya-san received a serve that fell just behind the net, sending it flying backwards recklessly. <em> I’m going for it anyway. </em>Tobio rushed to the back of the court to get under the ball. Even with the awkward angle, he pivoted his body backwards and sent the pinpoint toss to Hinata. The small fry was already in the air and the point was scored in a flash with the opposing blockers not even having a chance to jump. </p>
<p>“All right!” Tobio shouted, ecstatic that it worked. <em> No doubt everyone’s eyes are on Shrimpy now.  </em></p>
<p>He was proved right when Datekou’s coach called for a time out. He smirked to himself, speculating that they realized Hinata’s first freak-quick wasn’t a fluke now that he did it twice, and they were probably talking about how to counter it. Tobio’s eyes followed the others across the net as they finished their time out and got back into position. He noticed that many of them were gazing at Hinata like he was some sort of demon. </p>
<p>Another successful freak-quick later and Tobio felt like they were starting to gain real momentum. He heard shouts of encouragement from his teammates on the sidelines and picked out Suga-san’s voice among them. He chanced a quick glance to his soulmate, taking in his excitement, and it made him smile. He could tell even from this distance that Suga-san was also keeping tabs on their opponents and watching them work towards blazing the path, as he had put it earlier. </p>
<p>He caught Suga-san’s eyes and mouthed the words, “nearly there!”</p>
<p>Suga-san beamed back at him with a somewhat dazed and happy expression that Tobio couldn’t quite decipher. He heard a small giggle from Hinata and simultaneously a scoff from Tsukishima. Apparently, his silent exchange with his boyfriend hadn’t gone unnoticed by his teammates next to him. He dropped his gaze and scowled, looking back across the net, irritated that he didn’t realize his teammates were paying attention to him at the moment. Maybe his brief exchange with Suga-san looked weird, especially coming from him. In retrospect, he figured that it was and grimaced, upset with himself for losing focus for a second. Since he was trying really hard to build trust with his team, he had decided before inter-high that he wouldn’t allow himself to be distracted by pretty setters during games. It was challenging when they literally shouted across the court every now and then. Tobio almost felt embarrassed by the others’ discovery of his little moment; but he shrugged it off and remembered that while Hinata knew about his relationship with Suga-san, Tsukishima couldn’t possibly know for sure. While he was perturbed that Hinata-boke had laughed at him, it didn’t really matter. He was a little curious what was funny though, but he shook his head free of this train of thought. <em> Whatever idiot, laugh all you want. I’ll return the favor when you sort out your soulmate mess.  </em></p>
<p>The next serve was delivered by Datekou and Tanaka-san received it, bumping it to Hinata, but it was blocked. Luckily, Nishinoya-san picked it up, shouting to Tobio that it was coming his way and the ball went flying in his direction. Tobio knew that three of his teammates, Sawamura-san, Hinata, and Tanaka-san, were sprinting forward, ready to spike. It seemed as though they were running forward in slow motion and leapt into the air. He could set to any one of them and he heard Hinata shouting for the ball. <em> This is it.  </em></p>
<p>He sent the ball flying and watched as Hinata swung his arm and the blockers jumped to intercept him, but it was in vain. Tobio had sent the ball high and neat to the back of the court where Azumane-san was ready too. The ace slammed the ball from the back of the court right down the middle in a clean hit. <em> Blaze a path for the ace. There’s the path, Azumane-san. </em>Tobio watched his teammates immediately celebrate the point. He glanced at Suga-san who was staring with a shocked expression washed across his face. His soulmate then gave a wobbly smile and pumped his fist, muttering a ‘yes’ that Tobio couldn’t quite hear. Tobio smiled minutely and looked to Hinata, who was quieter than usual which was weird. </p>
<p>His face fell into a frown again and he asked, “what’s wrong?”</p>
<p>“I’m not the one who made that point. I’m not the one who spiked that, but.. it gave me chills.” Hinata stated in reflection. A quiet, excited energy buzzed around him like he was a firecracker about to explode. </p>
<p>“See? Being the greatest decoy is just as cool as being the ace.” Tobio gave Hinata a very self-satisfied smirk. </p>
<p>Hinata turned away and mumbled something to himself like he was thinking over something pretty seriously, still buzzing. Tobio shrugged and got into position to finish the set. His team was on a high and he was positive they’d take the set.</p>
<p>Just as expected, Karasuno took the first set. Tobio noticed that Datekou’s number seven had managed to touch Hinata’s freak-quick once, nearly twice. But that was okay, since Azumane-san kept getting his spikes through as well. Morale was pretty good, and coach Ukai had a plan to change up the starting rotation so Hinata wouldn’t face off against number seven so often. This would allow him to spike more freely without the super tall block. Tobio looked at Hinata-boke’s blank face during the rotation explanation and grimaced. <em> Does he even understand what’s going on?! </em> Coach Ukai didn’t seem to notice and finished his explanation by reiterating that it would be hard to put a mark on Hinata, but that this may be at the expense of the others facing the ‘iron wall’ and being marked instead. Tobio ran through plays in his head while hearing Azumane-san comment that they couldn’t always rely on Hinata anyway and that he’d prove that he was a worthy ace. Tobio tuned back into the others gushing over Azumane-san’s rare confidence, and Hinata bolstering his resolve too. <em> This team is really starting to meld.. is this what it’s supposed to be like? It must be. </em></p>
<p>The second set started soon after and the opposing teams gained points evenly, each unable to get a lead on the other. Datekou still fell for Hinata’s decoy moves, but number seven was getting better at jumping twice and using his long limbs to catch the hitters. Hinata scored easily when he was in the front row since number seven was in the back and the other blockers on Datekou’s team were still a little shocked by the freak-quick. </p>
<p>The set continued and Azumane-san held his own while Hinata was in the back row, however it came at a price. Tobio was frustrated that Azumane-san was stopped by the ‘iron wall’ far too much, but he noticed that Azumane-san didn’t seem to lose his determination. </p>
<p>Play continued like this in a sort of see-saw momentum until they were at match point and Hinata-boke was up to serve. The shrimp ended up missing the court boundaries and it was out. Tobio glared at him while he apologized profusely to Sawamura-san, then couldn’t help but shout at him from a small distance. <em> That idiot! Now he’s off the court! We’re at 22-24 and he’s in the back row now! He can’t help with the match point! It’ll be a problem if the game goes into a deuce.  </em></p>
<p>Tobio calmed down and watched as the ball was served by Datekou. Nishinoya-san received it up and sent it to Tobio, who set it to Tsukishima to hit. The spike was caught by the opposing libero and sent to number seven who spiked it angrily towards Karasuno. Tanaka-san managed to bump it and lobbed the ball through the air to Tobio, who set it neatly towards Azumane-san. The ace sprinted across the court, jumped, and hit. It almost broke through the ‘iron wall’, but it ricocheted off their wide spread hands and went sailing back towards Karasuno. </p>
<p>Out of sheer spite, Nishinoya-san dove for the ball and sent it back to Tobio to set. Tobio grunted in exertion as he sent it to Azumane-san for the second time in a row, but it was close to net. Number seven and Azumane-san both had hands on the ball, attempting to force it over at the same time. The ball slipped free of Azumane-san’s hands and fell. </p>
<p>Tobio saw it dropping and realized Nishinoya-san was too far away to dive bodily after it. He was utterly stunned for the briefest moment as he watched Nishinoya-san’s foot swing out from underneath him like some sort of martial arts master and kick the ball back into the air towards him. The ball was suddenly up in play, and Tobio couldn’t think any longer on Nishinoya-san’s incredible save. He heard screams of “one more” from his teammates while he got in perfect position under the ball and became dead set on sending it to Azumane-san until he scored that point. It was like a collective team goal, born in that moment, and fed on pure adrenaline to make it happen.</p>
<p>Tobio watched the ball falling towards him to set and he abruptly recalled talking with Suga-san about the types of tosses that Azumane-san liked; a high toss right in front of the net, but not too close. Out of the corner of his eye he spied Azumane-san sprinting towards the net, gathering the perfect momentum. Tobio felt the ball graze his fingers lightly and he set it with a careful press, high up into the air in a beautiful arc. </p>
<p>Tobio heard Suga-san shouting “Go Asahi!” and “blast through them Asahi!” from Sawamura-san and other shouts of “Go!” from around the court as he watched Azumane-san launch into the air to hit the ball again. </p>
<p>It was almost as if everyone in the gym were collectively holding their breath as Azumane-san’s hand smacked the ball deafeningly against the ‘iron wall’. It rebounded unevenly off of their fingers and went soaring towards the net, landing on the very edge, and tipping over to Datekou’s side. Tobio landed back on the ground and peered across the net in shock as multiple players attempted to catch the ball with outstretched arms, bodies thrown towards it, but bounced off the ground regardless. </p>
<p>Then that was it, they won two straight sets against Datekou. The team exploded with various shouts like victorious war cries, filling their air with their elation. When their ruckus died down, they lined up and thanked Datekou for the game, shaking hands with the players, then stood around for a few minutes cooling off. Tobio listened in with mild interest while Hinata hopped around Azumane-san, giving him a play-by-play in gibberish and sound effect sounds. Nishinoya-san bounced around too, agreeing enthusiastically, and Tsukishima reprimanded the shrimp to speak properly.</p>
<p>“Our opponents didn’t notice our signals, huh?” Hinata mentioned to Tobio, smiling happily.</p>
<p>Tobio agreed, “yeah, we’re gonna get some use out of them.” </p>
<p>“Yeah, it’s a wonder you meat-heads thought those up.” Tsukishima remarked waspishly.</p>
<p>Hinata ruffled up like an irritated bird, “w-we didn’t think them up.”</p>
<p>“Thought as much.” Tsukishima smirked, “so, who came up with them for you?” </p>
<p>“Sugawara-san” Hinata answered. Tobio shifted his gaze around, trying to find said soulmate. He really appreciated all the effort and brilliance the latter put into helping the team be at its best. Tobio found him after a moment of searching and saw that he was with Sawamura-san and Azumane-san chatting with the girls’ volleyball team from the stands. </p>
<p>Tsukishima had apparently followed his gaze and commented, “Interesting. I’m surprised the king would take on such an advisor.” </p>
<p>Hinata squawked in Tobio’s defense, affronted by the insult. Tobio tensed for a second, then scoffed, “don’t call me that.” </p>
<p>Tobio hated that nickname, and he knew Tsukishima was trying to rile him up for some reason or another. But he didn’t rise to the bait. His thoughts still lingered on Suga-san; he didn’t want to throw any drama into the mix. <em> We won our matches today, and we’re playing Seijoh tomorrow, probably. Tsukishima can fuck off. I’m already starting to feel uneasy about tomorrow, and I don’t need to add to it by exposing our relationship. We haven’t even talked about telling the team yet.. even if some already know.  </em></p>
<p>Oddly enough, Tsukishima backed off, though Tobio wasn’t quite sure why. He missed some of the bickering between the other two while he spaced out thinking of Suga-san. They headed to the stands to sit and relax for a little while before they had to get on the bus to leave. As they walked along the court, loud, shrill, excited cheers filled the gym. Tobio stopped short and glared in the direction, having an inkling of what was causing the racket. Oikawa-san and his team were warming up on the court for their second game. Tobio rolled his eyes and continued onward to the stands. Looking ahead of himself, he saw that Suga-san had paused too, and had turned towards the racket. But rather than annoyed, his soulmate peered at Seijoh with a curious look on his face. Tobio just watched as the other walked on after his pause, shaking his head lightly and apparently continuing with the conversation he had been having with Sawamura-san before the interruption. </p>
<p>When they reached the stands, Suga-san came over to Tobio and sat next to him, giving him a small smile like a quiet reassurance of some kind. <em> Oh, it must be written all over my face. I really am worried about facing Oikawa-san. I think we can win, but Oikawa-san is scary. I want to see who’s the better setter now though. </em> Tobio wouldn’t admit his inner turmoil to anyone, but if Suga-san flat out asked, he may have a hard time keeping it all locked up. <em> Ugh and his personality is so terrible! Seriously, what is it with those fangirls! It’s loud and annoying. </em></p>
<p>Suga-san broke the silence as they watched a bit of the match by asking quietly, “You alright?”</p>
<p>“Yeah. It’s a lot.” Tobio didn’t mean to be short with him, but his anxiety was starting to pile up higher and higher into a heap of emotions. </p>
<p>Clearly Suga-san read the mood and just responded with that small, reassuring smile again, but this time it seemed a bit more sharp, “It really is.” </p>
<p>Suga-san huffed out a small sigh after a little while. They both had been distracted by Seijoh below, watching their opponents’ game silently. He glanced sideways at Tobio, who felt the look, but kept his own eyes squarely on the court. </p>
<p>Suga-san said quietly again, “I’m gonna say it, even though it’s obvious, but I think this feels worse because of who we’re facing and the secrecy about it. Which is totally okay, by the way, keeping it between us for the time being.. but, I wanna check just in case.. did you want to tell him before the match? Do you think it would relieve some of the tension?” Suga-san’s blunt, honest, and somewhat rambled words surprised Tobio for a millisecond, but he scoffed and crossed his arms. He knew he was being kind of bratty about this, but it was weighing on him. The weight of the realization that all of it was affecting him was heavy. His mind was far from focused at the moment and it was frustrating, like running with tiny pebbles in your shoes.</p>
<p>He finally gave in to Suga-san’s inescapable gaze and looked at him with an unintentionally pouty expression. Suga-san brought his hand up to his mouth and snickered behind it, “pfft haha! Okay, okay, please don’t make that face at me Tobio, you’re too cute like that.” </p>
<p>“Hah?!” Tobio dropped his arms to his sides, sitting up in his seat from his slouch and stared, exasperated, at Suga-san. </p>
<p>The latter simply smiled and gave a little one shoulder shrug, “Just telling it as it is.. so, are you going to answer me, or should I try to come up with a more convincing interrogation strategy?”</p>
<p>He leaned forward with his elbow on the seats’ armrest between them and rested his cheek against his hand casually. It looked really flirtatious and Tobio stiffened, his shoulders hiking up slightly from both the question and the gesture. Suga-san was really attractive, entrancing, encompassing when he focused his attention like that as if nothing else mattered except the subject of his notice. He just kept his flirty gaze, seemingly oblivious or maybe uncaring of the wide array of looks many of their teammates were giving them. They hadn’t drawn the attention of all their teammates, but the majority had clued into their exchange at this point. Tobio cursed himself, knowing it was probably his own loudness that drew their attention in the first place. Especially since Suga-san had been considerate from the beginning and was whispering quietly to him beforehand. </p>
<p>Tobio blinked a few times, trying to break from the mental overload. <em> I just don’t get how he can be an angel and a devil at the same time? How is that possible? If I don’t answer, what will he do? I don’t think I want any more attention at this point.. </em>Tobio contemplated to himself for a moment, still not breaking eye contact with his soulmate as if they were having an elaborate staring contest. </p>
<p>Tobio huffed and caved, shifting his gaze away back towards the court, “No. I definitely can’t tell him right now.. and I think it would make the tension worse.” Suga-san sat up slightly, straightening into a more serious posture.</p>
<p>“Hmmmm” He hummed in response then said, hushed so only Tobio could hear, “Okay. I get that. Let’s just try to focus on the game then. Remember we’re all playing together against Seijoh. It’s not you versus Oikawa. I’m here to back you up, too.”</p>
<p>Tobio looked back to Suga-san, studying him for a moment with a blank expression. He really didn’t know how to respond to that. “I-I know..um, thanks” he mumbled.</p>
<p>Suga-san grinned and playfully jabbed Tobio in the side with a hand chop. He gasped and crossed his arms again, giving Suga-san a pouty, indignant glare. Suga-san just smiled smugly at him and crossed his arms over his chest as well, looking very satisfied. Tobio scoffed and turned his attention back to the match again, realizing that he was being thoroughly teased. </p>
<p>Out of his periphery, he saw Sawamura-san lean forward to Suga-san’s ear from the row behind them and heard a hushed, “Pretty sure you’re still the handful here..”</p>
<p>Tobio wasn’t sure if he was supposed to hear that comment or not and didn’t chance it by looking back at the other two. <em> I’m kind of bummed I can’t see his face right now. Thanks, Sawamura-san! Suga-san did take my mind off things though, now that I’m thinking about it.. I wonder if that was his intention all along. </em> Tobio stewed in his own thoughts until it was time to go. He still felt anxious about the next day, but decided that Suga-san was right. He did have a team that he could rely on.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. OT</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Tooru stood by the net, tossing balls to his teammates to warm up. He was a little tired after staying up the previous night, analyzing a video of Karasuno’s match against Datekou, but he didn’t let it show outwardly. Especially since he knew Iwaizumi would scold him for it and he hated Iwa-chan’s stern scoldings. He swept his eyes around the court and his teammates, taking in how their forms were today. Secretly, he was thrilled. They were up against Karasuno, day two of inter-high upon them, and he wanted to test Tobio’s limits. He took a deep breath and smiled casually, giving little comments of praise or criticisms to his teammates individually as they hit his tosses during warm ups. He noticed Iwa-chan looked a little stiff. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh ho? Is he worried about the match?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Iwa-chan, you’re a little tense. You don’t have to try to look good. None of the girls are looking at you anyway.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shittykawa!” Iwaizumi yelled at Tooru’s jab, and tried to lunge at him. He was prevented by Kindaichi holding him back. “Let go, Kindaichi!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Iwaizumi, calm down!” Tooru said nonchalantly with a genial smile plastered on his face. He put a ball back in the cart and wheeled it off the court. A second later, warm ups ended with a whistle sounding throughout the gym. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The teams lined up and faced each other across the court. Tooru felt the buzz of energy he was hoping to encounter again as he took in the opposing team. It was a little confusing, like mixed signals of a low, stable thrum and a clear sort of airy crispness. He stole subtle looks at their faces, gauging their attitudes. Everyone looked serious, determined. </span>
  <em>
    <span>This is going to be a good match,</span>
  </em>
  <span> he thought idly to himself and felt Tobio’s eyes on him. He peered back, his lips twitching upwards slightly at the corners, despite trying to remain neutral. He remembered that steely, blue-eyed glare, even from middle school. Though it looked much more innocent and open back then.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A moment later, Tooru had his opportunity to feel out Tobio’s mood more closely. They stood across the net from each other in their positions to begin the match and Tooru caught his attention, “Hey there Tobio-chan. I came here looking forward to defeating a ‘genius setter’, so do your best to keep up with me.” He smiled lightly as he taunted him, wondering what kind of response he would get from his dark, stoic kouhai.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio started to say something about not losing, but Chibi-chan interrupted him, literally jumping in and shouting “we won’t lose!” Tooru looked on at them in amusement as they argued about interrupting people while they were talking. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It’s so cute how they argue like that. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’ll beat you again.” Tobio finally answered with a frown. “Just like last time.” Chibi-chan joined him in saying the last part. Tooru just smiled blandly at their determination. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I can’t wait. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seijoh huddled up for hype, then headed to the court. Tooru shook his hands out lightly like he was shaking water off of them and adjusted his soulmate band on his forearm. He hated wearing the band. It felt constricting and he didn’t care if people saw his tattoo or not. Lots of people tried to match him as he was really popular anyway. Girls fawned over him all the time, a few guys here and there too. Tooru was focused on volleyball though and maintaining near perfect scores in his classes. He felt that if the timing was right, he’d meet his soulmates, and if not then it wasn’t meant to be. Iwaizumi always suggested that he was putting too much stock in the bond carrying his weight in his future relationship with his soulmates, but Tooru always just flippantly waved away his concerns. That’s what the bond was there for anyway, right? To guide and give a boost to your future romantic relationships. Tooru often argued with Iwa-chan that if there was a bond to take care of those details, why would he need to exhaust his resources with tons of extra effort? The thought process was a little lazy and childish, as Iwa-chan pointed out several times, but Tooru had other priorities. He wanted to concentrate on keeping other areas of his life in check before exploring that unknown variable. Admittedly, he had a hard time turning people down when they asked for a chance though, which got him a bit of a bad reputation amongst his exes. Ultimately it didn’t matter, as he had volleyball.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He gave his hands one last swish and spoke to his team as they made their way into position, “okay, let’s do this, just like yesterday...” he turned around with that mild smile etched on his face, his eyes peering into their souls, “I’m trusting you guys.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He turned back around towards the net and sauntered off, without checking his teams’ mood. He knew they would take him seriously and get their heads’ into the game. Tooru always made sure to tell them that before games, because it really set the atmosphere. He knew he could trust them, and that trust was mutual. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru shook his hands lightly again, to loosen them up one last time and glanced over at the opposing team. They were breaking from their huddle with shouts of “fight!” and Tooru spotted that unknown number two stop Tobio for a moment by snagging the younger setter’s hand fleetingly for a millisecond. He watched Tobio stop abruptly and turn to face him, but Tobio’s back was facing Tooru now and he couldn’t see any expressions his kouhai was making or if he was saying anything. Number two was still visible, however, and Tooru scrutinized his face. The other looked worried for a moment with his eyebrows drawn together, but a second later it relaxed. A sort of pleased, contented look replaced the worry and his head nodded a few times. He said something else to Tobio then smiled brightly and they parted. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Interesting. I didn’t see Tobio talking to anyone except for Chibi-chan and maybe Baldy-kun. I’m really starting to wonder who this number two is..</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Karasuno’s Glasses-kun served the first ball. Kunimi-chan received it cleanly and sent it to Tooru who had called out, “I’m open!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He smirked and jumped up to set the ball. Iwaizumi jumped too, open for a spike, but Tooru decided to make things interesting from the start. He turned his body from the setters position ever so slightly and slammed the ball down across the court himself. Tooru caught Tobio’s expression, displaying to the whole gym that he was visibly shocked, and maybe a bit angry. Tooru grinned and thought to himself, </span>
  <em>
    <span>hmmm maybe It’ll be easier to rile up Tobio-chan than I thought! </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The crowds in the stands exploded with cheering in their surprise at the bold play and Tooru smiled smugly, turning towards his opponents and saying snidely, “come on now, I’ll do another one. So wake up and pay attention, okay?” then he walked off again to get back into position. He knew Karasuno must be absolutely livid now. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Play continued and he snickered to himself, while the ball was received and sent his way by Makki-chan, because he knew they were all wondering if he was going for another setter’s dump. He decided to add a little flavor and pretend to make good on the promise by jumping into the air and lining up his form to look like he was going to hit the ball again. But he twisted his body mid-air and set the ball cleanly to Iwa-chan in the last second. Iwaizumi slapped the ball down, hard, to the opponents’ side. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After they landed, Iwa-chan turned to him and complained, “Hey, that was a little low.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Was it? Sorry. Still, you always end up hitting ‘em, Iwa-chan” Tooru responded playfully. He knew Iwa-chan wasn’t talking about the toss height.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Iwaizumi made a tsk sound against his teeth and rolled his eyes. Tooru had been friends with Iwaizumi since elementary school and they played volleyball together ever since. They were best friends, actually, and Tooru knew Iwaizumi could tease him just as much, if not more. Tooru was masterful at avoiding Iwaizumi’s strict, personal code of honor. If only he could avoid the lectures that trailed any lapses from it, he often thought to himself. He lapsed pretty frequently by Iwaizumi’s standards, unfortunately.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The next ball was in play and Tooru tuned in on hearing Chibi-chan shout, “give it to me!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He had an inkling that the small middle blocker didn’t just shout constantly on the court for no reason, but he had yet to test his theory that it was a verbal signal. He glanced around the opposing side and saw Baldy-kun leaping into the air and goatee number three running down the middle of the court preparing a pipe-spike. Tobio-chan jumped to set the ball, and tipped it smoothly over the net, like a cat knocking a cup off a counter. Tobio landed after his jump then glared through the net in a mix of angry determination and satisfaction. Tooru felt pretty shocked by the play and looking around, noticed that even Karasuno’s members were too. Clearly, Tobio did not communicate that stunt to anyone else. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru turned his head to Tobio when he heard him, “by the way, our next play will be the same, so please pay attention.” He said with an angsty little pout on his face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You little shit.” Tooru said quietly, angry that his precious kouhai turned out to be so bratty </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> good at volleyball. Tooru continued glare back at him and they shared a hate-filled show down until Tobio scoffed and walked away towards Chibi-chan, tugging a little at the armband around his forearm. Tooru leered at him for a few beats more, analyzing the situation. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Cocky little shit. You really have grown since middle school. I wouldn’t tell a soul, but I’m actually impressed by that little stunt. Don’t think I didn’t notice your teammates were in the dark though. I bet you haven’t broken all your kingly habits...now, I wonder if I can mess with their libero...</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was Tooru’s serve next and he ran, jumped with that same beautifully powerful form and smacked the ball directly at Karasuno’s libero. Tooru was mildly put out that the tiny guy received it cleanly and didn’t take the mental hit he was really aiming for. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He commented to Iwa-chan, “Oh dear, the guy is good.” Tooru rubbed the back of his head lightly, in mock apology. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is that how it’s done? He retrieved it like any other ball!” Iwaizumi replied in obvious frustration at Tooru’s antics. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru heard Chibi-chan shout “bring it!” a second later and watched as Tobio glanced behind himself as if he were checking for a different spiker than tiny number ten. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seijoh’s blockers scrambled to figure out who was getting the ball, confused by Tobio’s shifting eyes, but the latter sent it zooming in that freak-quick to Chibi-chan anyway. Karasuno got that point. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Well well well, that was very sneaky Tobio-chan! </span>
  </em>
  <span>Tooru thought to himself and nonchalantly complained to Iwaizumi, “those freak tosses should be illegal.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kindaichi walked up to Tooru and apologized, “damnit! sorry, captain! I got tricked by that!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmm? Don’t worry too much about that Kindaichi-kun! Karasuno sure is sneaky! It’ll take a little time to adjust to all their new ploys.” Tooru replied, then continued with an innocent lilt to his voice, “oh my, I hope you’re not worried about bending to Tobio-chan’s every whim like you did in the past? Are you envious of Chibi-chan hitting his tosses so easily now? I’m sorry, I cannot possibly deliver superhuman tosses to you like he can, but I’m positive you’re a significantly better player now than when you served the king before, right? You should just jump as high as you can and prove it.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kindaichi stared at his captain for a second, then gnashed his teeth and nodded, looking pumped. Tooru knew he was very skilled at being both complimentary and antagonistic at the same time and it made a good tinder for lighting a fire under someone’s effort output. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This fact rang true as Kindaichi jumped higher than before, over Chibi-chan’s block and scored a point for Seijoh a minute later. Tooru smirked smugly to himself. It was proof of that mutual trust and that he could ultimately bring out one hundred percent of his teammates’ abilities. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The game continued and Tooru heard it again, Chibi-chan loudly shout, “give me a toss!” Tooru peered at Chibi-chan for a second, then a grin spread across his face and he let out a chuckle. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ah hah! I’m on to you now! </span>
  </em>
  <span>Turning to the coaches, Tooru signaled for them to call a time-out. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seijoh stood around in a circle, and Tooru explained that Karasuno was using simple verbal signals to differentiate between the normal-quick and freak-quick attacks by saying ‘give me’ or ‘bring it’. He explained that he noticed it after watching the video of Karasuno’s match against Datekou, and that the freak-quick was followed by the phrase ‘bring it’. Tooru instructed his teammates further by telling them that Chibi-chan is still a decoy, after all, so they’d need to mark him if he said ‘bring it’, and wait to see where the toss will go if they hear ‘give it’ before jumping. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After Tooru confirmed that his team understood, Iwa-chan asked, “still, won’t they clue in that we’ve figured it out by us taking a time out so early in the game when nothing is going on?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru listened patiently then gave an ‘okay’ sign with his hand, “Let them! That would actually be advantageous. If they clue in that we’re on to their signals, I’m almost certain it will make Tobio-chan lose his cool.” and he glanced across the court at the latter, noticing his spaced out  but serious countenance. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Now we’ll just set some traps and see if Tobio really loses his cool.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru instructed Kindaichi to serve to a specific spot that was hard to receive because of the placement of the players. It worked because the setter had to sprint to an appropriate position from the back row and cross in front of the other players. The play caused some mild confusion for Karasuno for a few points, but they eventually caught on and the strategy stopped working. More importantly, Tooru got to face Tobio in the front row again as the rotation changed. He could almost visibly see the stress emanating off the younger setter now, the air thick with a thrumming pressure.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru watched Tobio-chan fidget for a moment through the net, waiting on the serve and adjusting his armband in a subtle movement. Realizing Tobio’s intense, steely eyes were on him now, Tooru pointedly glanced at Tobio’s armband and back up to meet his eyes. “So, meet your soulmate yet?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes.” Tobio replied and remained stoic as ever, a frown still lingering on his face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh? What are they like?” Tooru asked with a small smirk, genuinely curious. He hadn’t expected Tobio to be ahead of him in this area as well, but it bothered him a lot less than Tobio being better at volleyball.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio looked him directly in the eyes, his expression turned softly inquisitive, but otherwise indecipherable, “Ensnaring.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru just blinked at him, his usual plastered on smile chipping off his face, mouth falling open slightly. He hadn’t expected such an answer from Tobio-chan. It seemed raw and honest, which was jarring and gave him chills. He had never heard anyone describe a soulmate like that before, and Tobio hadn't bothered to elaborate further. The whistle blew for the serve and Tooru snapped out of it. He fought down the urge to push the topic again, his curiosity bubbling up to the surface; but now was not the time nor place for this type of chit chat. He was still banking on Tobio losing his cool, after all, and didn’t want to distract his kouhai too much from the game. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A few rallies later and Tooru immediately recognized the moment that Tobio began his mental spiral. The latter had attempted a setter’s dump, but it was rushed and obvious and Tooru blocked it easily. Karasuno called for a time-out and Tooru briefly glanced over to see Tobio getting lectured, probably, by his coach.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The spiral continued, with Tooru making a few clever plays that derailed Karasuno from scoring points off their serves and spikes. Tooru decided to go out of his way to target Baldy-kun, thinking that quieting the noise-maker would subdue morale. It didn’t take very long to trip him up and the guy really started flubbing up his spikes on top of being shut out by blockers, Karasuno called another time-out. Tooru maintained his signature pleasant smile and sat off to the side of his team during the short break, trying to remain focused and not lose his momentum. He felt like he was leading Karasuno on a short rope now, and any minute it would snap. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They made a few points off of Baldy-kun scrambling around after his powerful serves, but he self corrected pretty quickly, ending Tooru’s serving streak. Tooru was impressed by the guy’s mental fortitude and grimaced, “Aw, I was still good for a few more points.” He shrugged it off and decided to focus on trying to derail Tobio further instead. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The game continued and Tooru watched Iwa-chan try to block Chibi-chan after hearing the tiny sunspot shout “bring it!” His surly best friend nearly got the ball, but it rebounded off his hands and Karasuno took the point. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He turned towards Tooru and griped, “hey you! You’d better not tell me you still can’t beat his tosses.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You mean Tobio-chan’s?” Tooru responded, he didn’t know where Iwa was going with this. He raised his eyebrows in curiosity, putting his hands on his hips casually, and continued, “of course I can’t beat him. I can’t do pinpoint tosses like he can.” he flippantly waved his hand around in a light denial. Iwaizumi looked back at him angrily, as if to say that this was not the time to doubt his skills. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It made Tooru flinch and throw his hands up in mock defense, “don’t get mad! Sure, I can’t beat his talent, but I know I can produce tosses that are easiest for all of you to hit.” The whistle blew and Tooru repositioned himself for the pending serve, determined, and said, “So, I’m as good of a setter as he is.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The ball was sent to his steady hands and he set it flawlessly to Kindaichi, who spiked and scored a point. Tooru looked at Tobio who was scowling at the spot on the court where the point was just taken from his team. Tooru thought to himself, </span>
  <em>
    <span>don’t look so surprised. This has always been Kindaichi’s optimum striking point. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Tooru could tell by Tobio’s hazy, disgruntled attitude that he was peeved he wasn’t able to get Kindaichi to jump like that when they played together in middle school. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru watched Tobio become more shifty from across the net, the scowl deepening on his face, and reflected on things he’d heard of Tobio during his middle school days. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I remember hearing the nickname of a brilliant player in middle school: the king of the court. What a prestigious nickname. Seeing him play back then, however, it didn’t mean what it seemed. He has the power, the talent, and more greed for victory than anyone I know. Those elements make Tobio strong and they are also his weakness. You always try to do everything by yourself, Tobio-chan, and it’s only been a few months. It takes longer than that to fix a bad habit. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Some of the thrill of baiting the younger setter left Tooru. It felt slightly off to him, but he couldn’t put his finger on why exactly. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe it’s less fun when I’ve already picked him apart so easily. Can you bring yourself to toss uniquely to each of your spikers? Do you realize that you need to? Or will you continue to toss only how you see fit to score, regardless of their opinions? </span>
  </em>
  <span>He hummed to himself and shrugged it off, refocusing on the game. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru passively observed Tobio’s loss of control, the wheels of it set in motion and unstoppable as if rolling downhill. That control finally crashed after he tossed a spike way too fast for Glasses-kun, who missed it completely. The ball was rallied back to Seijoh and they scored. Tobio looked angry, then shocked and scared when the whistle blew and Karasuno’s number two was standing by the court, holding up a little sign with Tobio’s number nine on it. Tooru narrowed his eyes and watched as Tobio jogged over and took his number from the other, who apparently, was a setter too. Tooru’s eyebrows rose slightly as number two gripped Tobio’s shoulder on his way past and said something quietly to him. Whatever it was, Tobio just nodded and looked at the ground, clearly muttering something back. Number two then jogged to take Tobio’s recently vacated spot on the court, but kept his attention on Tobio’s retreating back, looking concerned. Tooru felt obligated to gaze back at Tobio too, since number two was so focused on the younger setter. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio and Chibi-chan were facing each other and talking, too quietly to hear from his side of the court. Suddenly, Tobio gave a rather haughty look and put his hands on his hips while Chibi-chan crossed his arms and looked petulant like he was standing his ground on something or other. Another shy looking teammate grabbed Chibi-chan and dragged him away like the freak-duo was about to get into a fist fight otherwise. Tooru laughed to himself. </span>
  <em>
    <span>They sure do put on a show. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He glanced back at Karasuno’s number two, who was now looking oddly relieved and had a very pleasant smile lighting up his face. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The smile was somewhat disarming and highlighted the little beauty mark next to his left eye. The pretty newcomer continued his way over and immediately sucker punched their captain in the chest. Tooru stared, shocked, but Pretty-chan didn’t stop there. He continued his onslaught by roughly rubbing Baldy-kun’s scalp, karate chopping Goatee-chan in the side, bonked Glasses-kun harshly on the head, and gave an exuberant double high-five slap to Libero-kun.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The new setter then delivered his killing blow of a beautifully bright, radiant, beaming grin, eyes squeezed shut in all and proclaimed, “It's okay! We’re gonna get that point back!” The newly harassed teammates all grinned back enthusiastically, with the exception of grumpy Glasses-kun, but even his mood seemed improved. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The stark contrast between Tobio and the other setter was glaringly apparent. Tooru could only watch in mild amusement as Pretty-chan loudly lectured the captain on his recent meek attitude. But the silvery-blonde setter didn’t stop there, his teammates gazing at him incredulously, as he beckoned over Glasses-kun with a little blasé hand wave. He told them a secret with his hand up by his face, delicately blocking his mouth from view, then resumed focus on the match. The energy around the court magically felt clear with a crisp edge to it. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Well aren’t you a pleasant breath of fresh air. So you were a setter too.. I wonder where your talent lies.. from what I saw in warm ups, you seem serious and meticulous. I think I remember you having a low block. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Completely unsure of this new variable in the game, Tooru advised Iwaizumi to aim straight down and target the new setter’s low block since it was a potential weakness. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This turned out to be a mistake, Tooru realized too late. Iwaizumi got into position to spike the ball perfectly, but Mr. Refreshing-chan had changed places with Glasses-kun on the court in the last second while Iwaizumi was already airborne and the latter was shut out by the tall middle blocker. Tooru quickly gave Iwa-chan a sincere apology, and saw the pretty setter smack Glasses-kun jovially on the shoulder a few times, praising him for a successful block. The mildly perturbed, yet slightly happy look on Glasses-kun’s face was comical, and Tooru had a hard time not laughing at the pair, despite just losing a point.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru grimaced when he saw Mr. Refreshing beckon Chibi-chan over next with that same little wave and disarming grin. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh dear! You certainly are amusing Mr. Refreshing! I can’t wait to see what sneaky ploy you have for getting Chibi-chan to block my Iwa-chan! I bet that’s what you’re plotting, anyway.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He wasn’t disappointed, the other had apparently warned the tiny middle blocker to delay his jump on Iwa-chan’s center spike, effectively blocking it. Chibi-chan looked completely bewildered by his own feat and the silvery setter just grinned happily and patted the smaller boy’s head like he was praising a puppy. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Frustration was starting to build up in Tooru, as Karasuno slowly gained in points, catching up to Seijoh. He quickly realized that while Mr. Refreshing seemed happy-go-lucky and blasé when he spoke to his teammates, he was actually just as serious and meticulous as he remembered him seeming during warm ups. The vast difference in his outward countenance and destabilizing strategies he orchestrated was devilish. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Sweet and spicy. Trickster demon.. Disarming? Definitely. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Tooru pondered during a lull in the game, trying to nail down the imagery of Mr. Refreshing, but even describing him seemed somewhat of a challenge. He walked towards the edge of the court with a ball, preparing to serve and glanced at the setter. The latter was talking quietly to his teammates, looking scarily serious for once. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’ll just have to stop him in his tracks.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The ball he served zinged through the air directly between two of Karasuno’s players, who both made movements to go for it and then both immediately backed off as to not collide into each other. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Haha! Take that!</span>
  </em>
  <span> Tooru thought smugly to himself, almost certain his smugness was dripping off his face. He served again, scoring another point with a different type of serve this time, hoping to confuse his opponents. He knew his serves were brutal and scored several points off them before Karasuno was able to stop him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They were finally at match point, despite Karasuno gaining several points since switching setters and changing up the flow of the game. It was a long rally, each player moving around like things were coordinated more than when Tobio-chan was setting. However, the rally ended and Seijoh won the set. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It seems as if everyone’s thinking a bit more of their own moves when Mr. Refreshing sets than moving instinctually when Tobio sets. Their styles are so different, switching them out like that really disrupts the flow of the game in their favor. I wonder if they knew that would happen beforehand.. I’ve never seen Mr. Refreshing set before this tournament, though. It looks like Tobio took over when he joined the team, but it seems like his senpai is quite reliable. How annoying.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Tooru was brought out of his reverie, realizing that he had auto-piloted to the benches along with his teammates for a quick water break before the next game started. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He heard Iwa-chan mention, “Karasuno’s attacks are way out there. Once we got ourselves in the mindset of number ten and Kageyama’s fast attack, being attacked normally like that really throws you off.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You always end up watching number ten too much.” Mattsun replied, sipping his water.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru leaned out from behind Matsukawa, using him as a shield and teased, “Iwa-chan, don’t strain the few brain cells you have! You’ll hurt your head!” Iwaizumi immediately pelted Tooru with his water bottle, who yelped and fell down dramatically. Matsukawa had sidestepped lazily and rolled his eyes at them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ow Iwa-chan! I was only trying to help!” Tooru protested, getting up and rubbing his rear. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You can help by not being a pain in my ass, Shittykawa! I know you agree with me about the gameplay after they switched setters.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru just stuck his tongue out at Iwa-chan, never wanting to admit he was right, and they heard the whistle blow for the teams to take position on the court again to begin the second game. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The next game proceeded with eerie stability, in Tooru’s opinion. He noticed that Mr. Refreshing was a very solid setter, and could read his teammates scarily well. He could basically visualize how the other micromanaged their teammates’ moods on the court and it was impressive. However, most of the sets and tosses used were by the rule book, without much deviation. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ah, so I see. That’s how the stress of the court shows on you. You should really expand upon your spontaneity, Mr. Refreshing. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Tooru thought to himself, and knew that his team was getting comfortable with the opposing setter now. His plays were becoming easily readable and they were starting to score more points and take a small lead on Karasuno.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Goatee-chan broke through Kindachi’s block with a powerful slam and scored a point, but Tooru heard the ref’s whistle and saw Tobio-chan standing on the edge of the court holding the sign with number two printed on it. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Wonderful. We started to have them on the run again and they switch it up, of course. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Tooru made a tsk sound with his mouth while he watched them change places. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The pair had a brief, private chat again, the older leaning forward and gripping Tobio-chan’s band-covered forearm with what looked like a reassuring squeeze. Tooru couldn’t hear what was said, but he was sure it was something very placating or encouraging or something like that, since he now knew how the third year setter operated. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Tobio finally made it over to his teammates, he gave them a very creepy smile, like a ghoul, and Tooru had to stifle a laugh. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What was that?!</span>
  </em>
  <span> Whatever it was, it vacated quickly like an exorcism, and he was back to berating the shorty again, who had backed away from the earlier apparition. Despite fooling around, Karasuno did seem to adapt a new energy. It was a little hectic and different across the players, but one underlying mood seeped through: thrumming determination. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Gross. Tobio-chan looks way too happy to be serving the ball right now. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Tooru wrinkled his nose at the sight and waited for the serve, calling out to his teammates to watch out. It rocketed through the air and rebounded off Seijoh’s libero in a service ace point. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Iwaizumi consoled his very apologetic kouhai while Tooru, Kindaichi, and Kunimi witnessed Baldy-kun and Tobio do a double high five to celebrate the service ace. He noticed that his teammates seemed slightly unnerved at Tobio-chan acting like a team player all of a sudden when he was notoriously not. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The feeling lingered as Tobio tossed a freak-quick set to Chibi-chan who slapped it like a lightning strike, but the only sound filling the air was the crack of his hand hitting the ball. Everyone on Seijoh’s side immediately realized they had not used any verbal signals to give way to their attack. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shit!” Kindaichi swore, growling across the net at the freak duo. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru took a quick deep breath and put on an air of calm, princely arrogance, spreading his arms out wide in a placating gesture and loudly gained his teammates attention, “Okay! Calm down.” He smiled warmly but with a slight threatening tilt, “there’s no need to panic and mess up our plays like they did. Once we get a point back, we’re all good.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yessir!” Kindaichi responded and straightened up from his glowering, his eyes widened in surprise at Tooru’s theatrics.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru heard Iwa-chan comment from behind him disdainfully, “Hey, stop striking that pose. It pisses me off.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mean!” Tooru responded back with a bratty frown on his face, turning to continue the game and wait for Karasuno’s next serve.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Karasuno made it to the twenty point mark first, using that now silent freak-quick. After scoring another point, Seijoh called for a time out to hopefully break the flow and prevent Karasuno from riding the wave. Tooru stood around with his teammates taking a water break and thinking about the match so far, now that Tobio was setting again. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I can’t believe how jarring the difference is with these Karasuno setters.. but Tobio-chan definitely doesn’t get along as well with everyone like Mr. Refreshing does..</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“When number ten goes back and number eleven comes to the front row, Karasuno does fewer center attacks.” Iwaizumi commented after taking a long sip of water and looking to Tooru for feedback, he was the captain, after all.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, it could simply be that Tobio doesn’t like the beanpole. Just like yesterday’s game, they don’t seem to be communicating in today’s game. I think that among all of Karasuno’s spikers, Tobio finds the beanpole the hardest to work with.” Tooru replied honestly, bending down and tying his shoe. He glanced up towards Tobio, looking to see what the setter was doing during the time out. It appeared like he was just talking with Chibi-chan and Baldy-kun though.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Now I know I never want to be friends with you.” Iwaizumi said haughtily with a hand on his hip, the other casually clutching his water bottle.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why not?!” Tooru asked and paled slightly at the verbal stab from his best friend. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The latter just scoffed and replied, “you’d ferret out my weaknesses.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru gestured around wildly in question, starting to get irritated at Iwa-chan’s teasing, “why would I want to learn the weaknesses of a teammate?” Iwaizumi just shrugged and the whistle blew to signal the end of the time out. Tooru huffed, peeking over at Tobio again and saw Mr. Refreshing beckoning him with a wave. The pair talked quietly for a few moments before Tobio nodded in agreement to something and jogged onto the court to get into position. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Seeing them together is starting to feel unsettling. Suspicious? No, not quite that. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru lived through mild internal agony as he watched Karasuno continue to score up until they were at match point. He witnessed Tobio-chan sync up with the shrewd looking Glasses-kun during several plays; and even heard a stray, botched, compliment from the scowling setter to the stoic middle blocker. It seemed bizarre that Tobio was evolving right in front of his eyes and trying to discard his kingly habits. He almost didn’t want to believe it, but the proof was staring at him from across the net. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He spun the ball several times in his hands before the whistle signaled to serve. He tossed the ball for himself, ran, jumped and slammed it across the net to an empty spot near the back of the court perfectly. Karasuno’s libero picked it up, which was impressive in itself and the ball went sailing back to Seijoh’s side. Tooru knew that the easiest spike to set up at the moment was Kindaichi at the center, but he changed his mind last second and sent it to Iwa-chan. What he didn’t see was Tobio making the prediction that he would send it to Iwaizumi and tug the beanpole sideways to help him block. Iwaizumi’s spike smacked loudly against their combined block and fell down to Seijoh’s side of the court. Karasuno had nabbed the set. They were tied now, and Seijoh had to win the third set in order to play Shiratorizawa. Tooru stood with his hands on his hips, frowning across the net.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ultimately, Tooru had less of a rivalry with Tobio than he did with another player named Ushijima Wakatoshi from Shiratorizawa high school. Ushiwaka had been taunting and untouchable all throughout middle school and high school for Tooru and it drove him mad. He just wanted the chance to beat them to nationals and considered Karasuno was just a small stepping stone to that goal; even crushing Tobio-chan was just a side perk on the way to his ultimate goal of beating Shiratorizawa to nationals. Karasuno was better than he anticipated, he admitted to himself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Iwaizumi was livid that Tobio predicted Tooru would send him the ball and he growled out his frustrations while running his hands angrily through his hair, “That piece of shit! I’m sorry!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Makki-chan tilted his head and said a quiet “don’t mind” while Tooru held his arms out casually as if to say ‘whatever’ and laughed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Iwaizumi was clearly not amused and he yelled back, “why are you laughing? I’ll clobber you!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Stop saying you’ll clobber me, Iwa-chan.” Tooru responded simply but tersely and took a sip from his water bottle.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Iwaizumi scoffed and looked at him, “relax, you’re the only one I’ll threaten and I won’t actually hit you!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Now that Iwa’s ungainly frustrations were out, Tooru frowned and mentioned, “That last fast attack from the center was one of our better attacks.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Huh?” Replied Iwaizumi, still fuming, but trying to catch up to Tooru’s point.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I think Tobio must have predicted that I would toss it left. Do you understand what this means? He wasn’t thinking mechanically like he’s always done. He saw we had a weak spot near the end, with our relationship of absolute mutual trust.” Tooru said in a low conspiratorial tone. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We have no such thing.” Iwa-chan protested sternly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Which means he made an overall judgement call. What did Mr. Refreshing over there teach Tobio-chan?” Tooru wondered out loud, starting to go a little off the rails in his speech, “a king who’s nothing but a dictator is trying to become a decent king.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru glanced over at Karasuno and saw the subjects of his tirade talking casually to each other. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What is this? How can I feel this way while I feel so incredibly irritated? </span>
  </em>
  <span>He grinned menacingly and turned to make his way back to the court, all but demanding, “Now! I want to play the final set now!”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. KT</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The lights in the gym seemed a little brighter as the third set began against Seijoh and Tobio took a deep breath in to stabilize his mind. He was still on a mild high from winning the last set, similarly to the rest of his team. Focusing, he felt the ball graze his fingertips and he snapped it to Hinata who swung with abandon, slapping the ball forward into Seijoh’s block. It rebounded off with a loud smack and the rally continued, each team picking up the ball before it hit the floor. Everyone was desperate to keep the ball in the air even though it was only the start of the set, trying to get a controlling grasp on the game’s momentum regardless of how it slipped through their fingers like silk. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Argh! We can never get that quick right the first time! Seijoh’s defense is really advanced and they adapt so quickly. But I’ll trust in my teammates, like Suga said. Everyone is good at their job on this team. Nishinoya-san will pick it up! </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio saw Oikawa-san receive the ball and was grateful for a moment because it meant that he couldn’t set it for this play. He was stunned for a millisecond when he saw their libero leap from the back row and set the ball to Oikawa-san, who spiked it down to Karasuno’s side. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What the hell was that?! </span>
  </em>
  <span>Tobio thought, more surprised than angry, and he was sure the surprise was written all over his face. The rally kept going until Oikawa-san made an amazing set so close to the net Tobio thought he’d crash right into it. However Oikawa-san’s long, elegant fingers barely grazed the ball, changing its trajectory towards a teammate and it was successfully spiked down, scoring Seijoh the point. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio stood next to Hinata, both breathing hard from the intense rally and stared at Oikawa-san and his teammates high five in victory. </span>
  <em>
    <span>That toss was so close to the edge. I could have sworn the ball was actually already on our side of the net already.. </span>
  </em>
  <span>he heard a quiet “incredible” muttered from Hinata who was still staring at the opposing team in awe. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>All the players were running ragged back and forth across the court. Especially Hinata, who was using his decoy abilities in full force, luring the blockers around like a volleyball pied piper. The shrimp started using the entire length of the court and basically demanding broad tosses for their freak-quick. It was an extreme move as the blockers couldn’t catch him to block the spike before it was already smashing down on the court. </span>
  <em>
    <span>We’re neck and neck right now. I can’t believe that idiot can sprint around like that! He’s like a human ping pong ball! That broad jump is perfect, if we can just keep it up, we’ll have them! </span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The shrimp kept up his momentum and sprang into the air glancing at Tobio and practically taunting him to send the ball his way. But Tobio saw the blockers target Hinata and chase him down in time to block for once, so he made a split second decision to send the ball to Azumane-san. The ace leapt into the air from the back row to spike a pipe down the center of the court. Out of the corner of his eye while he landed back on the ground, he saw the spike graze Oikawa-san’s fingers, but it still made it past and Karasuno scored the point. Oikawa-san looked very frustrated at the ploy, taking a second to catch his breath like everyone else, while his teammates cursed being fooled by the decoy. Tobio panted, trying to regain some stamina and analyzed the court. </span>
  <em>
    <span>In my head, I knew that the timing was right for a pipe. Yet, I nearly gave it to Hinata. He nearly took away the toss from me. The greatest decoy. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Tobio glanced at Hinata, seeing him glance back and they made eye contact for a moment. The decoy looked out of breath, but frighteningly determined, like nothing would be able to stop him. It made Tobio shiver slightly and he shook out his arms and rolled his shoulders to try to loosen up. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The game was tied now, and Tobio knew the stress would only escalate from here out, especially with the ball being kept in play for such long rallies. That charged, tingling energy was lingering in the air too. It was hard to ignore, but difficult to pinpoint where it was coming from exactly. It could be the spectators, or the strength of the opposing team, or even just Oikawa-san himself and their strained soulmate bond. Tobio felt like he was being tugged in different directions in this atmosphere, and it was challenging to break away from the sensation. He idly wondered while wiping his face with a towel during the break, if Oikawa-san felt the buzz of energy too and if it was as insistent on being noticed for the other as it was for himself. At least the pressure of competing against Oikawa-san wasn’t nearly as bad as the first set and wasn’t affecting him anymore. It was completely overwhelming during the first set, the pressure and energy competing, fizzing around, and building up so much that he ended up losing his cool. He was grateful Suga was there to back him up and not make him feel like a failure for his mistakes and indulging in old, bad habits. Suga’s gentle reminders to communicate with his solid, supportive team really helped anchor him and get him back into the game. He focused on putting his best efforts into being a team player, especially knowing it was absolutely necessary to fully use their freak-quick advantage against Seijoh. On top of all of that, he really didn’t want to be the lonely king of the court anyway, despite the difficulty of shaking the habit away. It had become quite plain to him after his middle school fiasco that ignoring teammates’ opinions and pushing anyway was not the way to win.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When the next rally began, Tobio could tell things had shifted. He knew Hinata would be in the back row soon and wanted him to score as many points as possible before he rotated. Tobio quietly mentioned it to the shrimp, who agreed, and immediately went for another broad spike. But when he dashed and jumped, no blockers followed him at all and Hinata ended up spiking the ball directly into Seijoh’s libero’s waiting arms. The ball was up and Tobio inwardly cursed Seijoh for adapting so quickly to the broad spike attack. It would be much harder for those spikes to score points if their libero could just pick them up every time. Their rapid adjustment reeked of Oikawa-san’s analytical decisiveness, and Tobio frowned, trying to think up a work around. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In the next five minutes, two points were already snatched away by Oikawa-san’s serve as he successfully derailed  Karasuno’s rhythm. Coach Ukai called a time out and they stood around in a circle. It was just a breather to try to disrupt Seijoh‘s flow, and it almost looked like the Coach didn’t know what was the next best move. However, when the time-out ended and the game resumed, Tobio saw that Yamaguchi was subbed in as a pinch server for Hinata. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yamaguchi looked completely stricken as he approached the court. His teammates tried to give encouragement and even Tobio offered a ‘nice serve’, but the pinch server was so nervous that he fumbled the serve and hit it into the net, giving the point to Seijoh. Yamaguchi retreated back to the sidelines and Tobio looked around at his teammates. They all looked oddly relieved, as if watching the first year’s stress at being on the court for the first time as a pinch server with all attention on him </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> failing made them realize they didn’t have nearly the same amount of pressure as he did in that short moment. </span>
  <em>
    <span>At least it felt safer for my head than when Hinata serves... that was a pretty brutal move though, sending in Yamaguchi when he hasn’t come close to perfecting that jump float serve yet. I bet when he does perfect it, it’ll be amazing though. The team mood shifted again, so I guess it all worked out. We’re refocused now.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As if Tobio had just blinked, Seijoh was at match point with Karasuno only trailing them by a single point. Tobio panted and glanced around, checking in on his teammates’ conditions. They were exhausted from the constant, high energy battle, and really starting to slow down like the court was suddenly soaked in glue. Even knowing that the opposing team was in the same situation didn’t help much because it was apparent they were just as determined to win. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t be intimidated, men!” Nishinoya-san abruptly yelled from the back row of the court like a battle cry, “lets throw ourselves into it!” Everyone turned around to look at him and seemed jolted from their exhaustion by his enthusiasm. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Only one point away from turning the game into a deuce and the ball was flying back over the net towards Oikawa’s outstretched hands. Tobio found himself flinging his body into the air to intercept the ball with one hand. His fingers barely touched the surface of the ball but it was enough to change its trajectory and send it towards Hinata. The shrimp was magically in the air already, soaring right up behind him. Tobio’s body very narrowly fell out of the way before Hinata was in the same space, smacking the ball down the center of the court and scoring the point. Tobio felt like he had caught a bit of Oikawa-san’s excellence in that moment, pulling off a feat that would have normally required years of repeated practice to accomplish. But he succeeded with the scrappy one handed toss and brought his team one chance closer to victory. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio hazed across the net, panting and barely hearing Hinata declare that he would hit the broad quicks as many times as necessary to score, even if they were blocked. Nodding in acknowledgement, Tobio sent them, again and again, but he could see Hinata losing some speed with all the constant running and jumping. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Even he must have limits on his stamina. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Tobio thought and watched as the ball left his hands and zoomed towards Hinata, whose timing was finally off just enough where he couldn’t quite reach the ball. Instead of smacking it down like usual, just the tips of his fingers nudged it up in the air, lobbing it over the block. It fell down behind the blocker and hit the floor with Seijoh’s libero barely missing it. Hinata looked elated by the unintentional feint he performed, and Tobio raised his eyebrows and scoffed in shock at the guy’s natural athleticism and dumb luck. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The game kept building and building as if in spite of the players stamina and the score was at 32-31 with Seijoh just having scored a point from a feint delivered by Kunimi-kun. Tobio stared at the other team blankly as they celebrated Kunimi’s play, smiling and giving each other high fives. He racked his memory of all the times he pushed Kunimi-kun to play a little harder in the past and couldn’t ever remember seeing Kunimi put this much effort into volleyball; or show any emotion during a game, let alone a smile. It looked like his former friend was actually enjoying himself. Tobio was stuck in his mind at the realization that his old kingly habits had prevented him from fully seeing how his past teammates could play and use their talents. But clearly Oikawa-san could make his teammates shine. </span>
  <em>
    <span>How am I supposed to compete with someone who can bring out all these abilities from their teammates? He really does bring out one hundred percent of their potential. There’s no way I can do that.. there would have to be a great deal of mutual trust and communication. How does he push them to their limits and light a fire under them without burning everything down? I tried so many times to get Kunimi-kun to put more effort into his games and it never worked, no matter how many times I talked to him about it. I had no idea my old teammates had such abilities, they never showed them to me. They just left, instead of showing me. I wish we could have worked together like that. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Tobio heard someone faintly calling his name, but he was still frozen on the spot, trapped in his icy thoughts. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“...yama. Kageyama? Kageyama-kun! Kageyama-san!! Hey, don’t tell me you’re getting spooked. Lame.” Hinata called out and teased, making a goofy scrunched face like he couldn’t believe Tobio would be scared of the opposing team now of all times.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio glared at him with his full attention, having been yanked from the rabbit hole his mind was wandering down. He grabbed Shrimpy’s cheeks in a one handed vice squeeze, squishing them together. Hinata smacked his hand away from pinching his face and continued his weird, taunting pep talk, “th-think about it! Obviously a great king is gonna be better than a king. That goes name-wise too! Heck, he even looks smarter than you!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio growled and tried to snatch Hinata’s face again in his hand to retaliate for the taunting, but Hinata dodged. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sawamura-san walked up to them and said, “I’m sorry, Kageyama! I’ll get the ball back to you the next time. Then we’ll play it like usual and do the attack you think is best.” Tobio just stared back wide eyed in shock. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Where is all this coming from? I can’t have looked that lost, can I? </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tobio! Quit second-guessing! What is everyone on our team?” Suga-san called loudly from the sidelines, his hands cupped by his face to make sure his voice carried.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He just looked around at all his teammates, who were apparently watching him carefully for his response. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I must have really worried them all. But I can see how everyone’s standing right here, willing to work with me as a team. They’re walking towards me instead of walking away. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“They’re good at what they do.” He answered simply, a small frown of determination on his face. Suga-san looked satisfied with the answer and gave a confident smile that eased some of his tension. He gave Suga-san a brief, stiff nod and turned to rejoin his teammates in position on the court. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oikawa-san started off the last rally with a short serve, a distraction, to tangle up Karasuno’s players. It worked and everyone continually scrambled to make sure the ball never touched the floor. The competing teams kept it in the air like it could float all on its own, but it had to come down eventually. Tobio got into the perfect position and set a perfect toss to Hinata, who sprinted up the court right in front of the net and smacked the ball down in that practiced freak-quick. The blockers were there almost as if they knew the plan all along, and the ball hit their wide spread hands, rebounding down on Karasuno’s side and bouncing off the court. The match was finished in an instant. Despite all the energy and hunger to win, they lost. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio knelt down on the floor in the middle of the court along with a few of his teammates, all catching their breath. He heard Sawamura-san tell them it was time to line up. But everything felt surreal to Tobio in that moment and he was having trouble dragging himself to his feet. Hinata started muttering an apology to their captain, but Sawamura-san denied it, telling him he did everything right. Tobio glowered and ground his teeth, preventing tears from falling down his face. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He held it together for the obligatory line up, handshake, and even coach Ukai’s brief huddle up before they were all dismissed to cool off. Tobio opted to go outside where he ran his head under an outdoor faucet for a few minutes, drowning away his disappointment and hoping it would all just wash away for good. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I knew he was better. He predicted almost every move I made in the last few minutes of that game. How did he know I would set a quick to Shrimpy?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hinata had come outside with him and was lingering by the water fountain, waiting for Tobio to finish. He meekly commented that the post game meeting would start soon. Tobio heard him, but let the water run a minute or two longer, then he turned it off and glanced towards his teammate, “Sorry about that. He read me like a book.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio dragged himself away from the fountain and started to walk away towards the sports complex entrance, but Hinata swiftly grabbed the front of his jersey and pushed him backwards roughly. They staggered back like that a few steps until Tobio lost his footing and fell back on his ass, Hinata landing on top of him while angrily yelling in his face, “Don’t you dare apologize! Don’t make it.. don’t make it sound like it was a mistake to toss the ball to me!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They stared at each other heatedly for a second, but before Tobio could say anything, Takeda-sensei interrupted and told them the meeting was about to start. Hinata let go of the front of his jersey and sat back a bit, looking up at their sensei. The advisor studied them for a moment then started praising them, “the two of you did a fabulous job today.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But we lost,” Hinata responded, looking at the ground dejectedly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, you lost. But don’t you think it was a productive game?” Neither of the duo said anything, so sensei continued, “Does losing prove that you are weak? Wouldn’t you say that, to you guys, losing is like a trial by fire? A test to see whether you can get back on your feet after crashing to the ground? If you guys stay there, down on the ground, that really would prove that you are weak.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio clenched his fist and glowered at the ground. As much as he hated losing, what Takeda-sensei said made sense and there was no way he would stay down. They both dragged themselves off the ground and Takeda-sensei smiled genially at them. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It’s not over. We will have another chance to go up against Seijoh. Next time, we will win.</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. SK</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Suga, Daichi, and Asahi lingered in the lobby of the sports center waiting for the rest of the team to finish cooling off and meet up so they could watch the rest of the volleyball matches from the stands. Suga leaned back against a wall, his head resting back against the hard surface, arms crossed and trapped behind his back. He closed his eyes and waited patiently for the rest of his teammates, including his boyfriend. Earlier, he saw Tobio nearly burst out of the complex like it was on fire. It wasn’t the right time to talk to him about the match or maybe not even at all. Suga was apprehensive of being shut out and he didn’t want to try to assess the situation too quickly and make it worse. However, Tobio was one of the last team members he had to check in on, in addition to being the hardest one. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I wonder if he’s feeling responsible for the loss. It’s so hard to get him to accept that it’s a team effort, no matter the outcome. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He thought to himself in the polite quiet of the lobby.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, you ok?” Daichi’s voice suddenly filled the void.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga peeked his eyes open and rolled his head along the wall slightly to get a better look at his friend, “For the most part. Just anxious about other things at this point. How are you holding up?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Um. I’m okay. I can’t decide if it’s worse or better that it ended with a deuce.” Daichi said, more so on the quiet side, scratching his nose in thought. Although he didn’t say anything, Suga spied Asahi standing next to Daichi giving a few slow nods of agreement. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmmmm” Suga just hummed in contemplation, then stood up straight with a little push off the wall and faced his friends with a serious expression. “I’m just going to say it now, since it’s as good a time as any.. I’m staying on for the spring tournament. I’m staying for myself, I’m staying for Tobio, and I’m staying for the others as well. I’m not going to do a song and dance to convince you to stay too. But obviously it would be ideal if you considered it..”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Daichi peered at his best friend with his mouth slightly agape, like he wasn’t expecting this conversation right now, “I’m staying. I won’t jump ship now. We’ve really got something good building here, I can feel it in my gut.” Then he clapped Suga on the shoulder once before dropping his arm and giving him a warm smile. Suga turned to Asahi, to see if he would have an answer as well, and found him clasping his hands together tightly, apparently lost in thought.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The latter looked up at the silence and relaxed, “Oh. Umm. I’m staying too. I really want to finish this strong with you guys. B-besides, I have to fulfill my duty as the ace!” He gave a sheepish smile and added, “but I wouldn’t mind the song and dance, Suga, if you wanted to give a demo-“</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asahi didn’t get a chance to finish that thought as the sound of Suga’s loud, mostly playful, smack to Asahi’s back filled the otherwise calm lobby. Asahi coughed a few times and hissed in pain, while Daichi laughed and offhandedly agreed with Asahi, earning him a warning glare from Suga. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was difficult for third years to finish the entire season of tournaments. Their school advisors would probably try to talk them out of it, since they should focus their energy on studying for exams to get into their desired colleges. He wanted to talk a little more about their plans, but a bright orange head reentering the complex caught his eye. Almost immediately after, the dark haired setter he was waiting for entered too and he perked up; the newcomers completely stealing his attention. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Daichi smiled smugly and gave him a nudge to go, “we’ll head on up to the stands, take your time, I’ll cover for you.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga smiled back, eyes shifting to Daichi for just a millisecond in acknowledgement before they darted back to Tobio. He heard Daichi let out a little huff of amusement and felt a pat on the shoulder from Asahi before they were gone. Tobio spotted Suga too and his reaction wasn’t to run and hide, apparently, because he strode right up to him. Hinata’s eyes scanned them briefly then he gave a quick little bow to Suga and ran off to catch up with the others, leaving them alone. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I wouldn’t think Hinata would have a good sense of tact in these types of situations because he seems so innocent, but I’m starting to think that’s not true. He’s really good at reading the room. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Suga mused to himself with a smile, watching Hinata bolt away before turning his attention back to Tobio.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey.” Tobio greeted. He wore that usual little frown, but didn’t look too distraught. Suga couldn’t tell if that was a good or bad thing. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hi,” he responded back, giving Tobio a genuine smile, “I wanted to give you a little space, I hope that was okay?” Suga hoped that leaving him alone after the match didn’t come across as disappointment, or abandonment, or anger, or anything else he thought Tobio might construe it as; if he was thinking of it at all, anyway. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio nodded slowly, he had been looking around the lobby casually since he greeted Suga, but at least he wasn’t staring at the ground. He looked back to Suga’s eyes and gave the tiniest smile, “I’m alright. Tired. How are you?” He asked and reached out with both arms, snaking them around Suga in a warm hug. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga released a little, silent gasp at the public display. Not that he cared, but he hadn’t pegged Tobio for blatant shows of affection. Suga was always delighted by Tobio’s affectionate side despite how abrupt it could be. He squeezed back in appreciation and said, though it was muffled in Tobio’s shoulder, “I’m supposed to be the one comforting you..”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay.” Tobio replied, and grasped Suga a bit tighter, but not uncomfortably so, and buried his face in the space between his shoulder and neck. Suga froze at the intimate gesture. He was sure he was bright red by now. It was more Tobio catching him off guard with his dissonant appearance and actions that always shocked Suga than the public display or the physical aspect. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I remember thinking this before, but he’s comfortable, and shockingly clingy. I don’t mind it.. but it always catches me off guard because he just seems so unapproachable. How mysterious. I wonder if he’d be like this with Oikawa too if.. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Suga abruptly shook himself from his thoughts. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oikawa was another issue entirely at the moment. Not only had he run Tobio up a tree during the match, but he nearly set fire to it as well. Suga was none too happy with his other soulmate at the moment. There was nothing to even do about it though, as Oikawa didn’t know of their shared bond, and Tobio hadn’t approved of reaching out to him. Suga was trying to respect Tobio’s opinion on talking with Oikawa about the soulmate bond, and it was easy to do so up until now. But the more he considered it, he felt like they had to approach him before the spring tournament. The tension on the court during their inter-high match was palpable, and it was a wonder that his other teammates or Coach hadn’t said anything yet. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Not everyone knew about him and Tobio, and Suga was almost certain only the other third years were clued in on Oikawa’s inclusion. He made a small mental note to talk with Coach Ukai and Takeda-sensei at the next natural opportunity during practice or something. Especially since Ukai mentioned he wanted to switch out him and Tobio out as a strategy to disrupt game flow more often because they were so different as setters. Ukai had mentioned that the switch was enlightening for him and they could use the stark contrasts in their game sense to their advantage. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m glad I’ll be on the court more too.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He thought, and realized he was actually spacing out in the comfort of Tobio’s arms for far too long.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga patted Tobio’s back idly, now very used to and soothed by the sensation of someone taller holding him and said, “I wouldn’t have thought you’d give such nice hugs.” He was trying to distract his own mind, really, his thoughts still swirling around Oikawa and the soulmate bonds. He felt Tobio shake a bit, his shoulders lifting and falling slightly. It was almost like he was laughing, but if he was, the sound of it was muffled with his face still smooshed against Suga. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Must be instinct. Or my natural physical prowess.” Tobio had moved his face free, and just rested his forehead on Suga’s shoulder. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga raised his eyebrows and laughed brightly, “Natural physical prowess, huh?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Abruptly, Tobio let go gently and moved back a step or two, looking quite embarrassed, and stammered out, “Umm, I mean, s-soulmate bond maybe?” He stood there stiffly, hands clenched into fists at his sides and a blush creeping up his neck.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga’s smile widened at this new display and he reached out, grabbing one of Tobio’s hands in his. Tobio seemed to calm down a bit, his face relaxing back to neutral, and clasped Suga’s hand in return. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Let’s just say soulmate bond, then..” Suga gave his hand a squeeze, and decided not to tease his boyfriend further. For a moment, his walls were down, and Suga wanted to see that happen again and more often. He started walking slowly to the entrance of the gym tugging Tobio to follow so they could meet up with their teammates, “So, you really were amazing today.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Huh? Oh, thanks. You were too. I’m glad I got to see your tosses during a match, you’re a solid player even under that pressure.” Tobio seemed a little distracted, but not adverse to talking about the game. Suga smirked at Tobio’s unintentionally condescending tone he usually used whenever volleyball was the subject. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can’t believe you set that one toss with a single hand. Stole it right out from under Oikawa’s nose! Hah!” Suga grinned, but became instantly apprehensive of the slip he had just made, and quickly glanced over to get a read on Tobio. The other didn’t look perturbed, but neutral with a mild downturn of his lips. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That was crazy! I don’t know what came over me, I just went after it. I thought I was going to crash into the net for sure! But Oikawa-san had done the same thing a little earlier and I was so pissed that he got the ball when it was basically over the net already! Like, how long do your arms have to be to steal a ball like that?! Ridiculous! So I just saw the ball and really didn’t want him to have it. I didn’t think I’d catch it in time, but that was lucky! And did you see how Shrimpy was right there to spike it?! He almost knocked me into the net! Seriously, he needs to figure out how to control his body. He’s like a tiny rocket.” Tobio had said all this in a low, excited tone nearly in one breath, like he had been waiting forever to talk about some of the finer points of the match. Suga blinked at him, his mouth hanging open slightly, surprised by the tirade. But he was relieved that the mention of Oikawa didn’t seem to affect him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Not wanting to interrupt Tobio’s apparent happiness at talking shop about the match, and the fact that he’d never heard the other say so much at one time before, Suga just agreed and nodded along with his chit chat as they finally made it to their teammates. They had dropped holding hands at some point or other when Tobio started gesturing heatedly about a block and used his own body to demonstrate what he was saying. Suga’s face had developed a highly amused expression at his boyfriend’s chattiness when they arrived at the stands, while Tobio was still griping about something one of the opposing blockers did. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The others were sitting around in various states of interest as they watched the matches below and only a few looked over when they saw that the pair were finally there. Daichi raised his eyebrows in question, clearly at Tobio’s ranting. It was definitely loud and passionate enough to draw attention, but Suga just shrugged and smiled congenially.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. OT</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tooru sat in the still quiet of his school’s library, pouring over a text for his literature class. He wasn’t really paying attention to the text, however, his thoughts straying to the volleyball tournament the previous week. They had lost to Shiratorizawa. It was devastating, to say the least, and it took nearly the whole week to coax himself back into a semblance of normalcy; of course he maintained his charming outward appearance and attitude, as to not worry his teammates. Unfortunately for Iwa-chan, he got the brunt of all the frustrated emotions and ugly crying in private at Tooru’s house afterwards. Tooru deeply appreciated his best friend for putting up with all his schemes and moods, though he rarely told him so. Iwaizumi was a really solid and grounded friend with mountains more patience than he outwardly showed, especially towards Tooru. He thought it a shame that Iwaizumi was straight. He had considered approaching him in the past a few times out of simple comfort and familiarity, but that type of relationship wasn’t going to happen. Tooru didn’t mind though, he knew Iwaizumi was invested in the soulmate phenomenon anyway, even if he had convinced him to test the waters. Their tattoos didn’t match. Iwa-chan had a landscape image with petite, pretty water plants and flowers entwining rocks and a bubbling stream placed on the left side of his chest. </p>
<p>Tooru sighed to himself in the quiet space, he usually didn’t think about the whole soulmate thing unless Iwa-chan brought it up, and he only did so when Tooru forgot to wear his armband during volleyball games. He looked down at his own bare arm, idly thinking of the tattoos he had seen and analyzed in the past. He traced his hand over the ornate crown and scepter, the tips of his fingers brushing across the beautifully engulfing flowers. </p>
<p>A loud fake cough broke his reverie and he briskly snatched up his book while he glanced around at the sound. It was Iwa-chan, who had walked over silently, unobserved. His friend took a seat across from him at the table he was using and shoved away some of the materials to make some room for his own things.</p>
<p>“Never thought I’d catch you daydreaming about your soulmates, trashykawa.” He greeted in a neutral tone, but Tooru could tell his interest was thinly veiled.</p>
<p>“Hmm. You caught me, I guess.” Tooru responded haughtily, deciding it wouldn’t be worth it to deny it and continued, “I really don’t think about it, usually... but I kind of assumed I was the royalty depicted here.” He let his book fall with a flop and gestured at his own outstretched arm. </p>
<p>“Oh yeah? I thought you were the flowers..” Iwa-chan suggested sarcastically, folding his arms across his body comfortably. Tooru just scoffed at his friend’s ridiculousness.</p>
<p>“King.” Tooru said softly, like he was sounding things out to find an answer, a puzzled expression on his face. </p>
<p>Iwa-chan just gazed back at him casually, almost as if he was waiting for something.</p>
<p>Tooru shot out of his chair like it was electric and he had been zapped. He stared down Iwaizumi, putting both hands on the table in front of him, leaning over it bodily and exclaimed, “Iwa-chan! Oh my god! Oh no! I think Tobio-chan’s one of my soulmates!” </p>
<p>Tooru’s mind was racing a mile a minute now with this new theory. <em> I thought I was the royalty symbolism and that my soulmates were the flowers. But now.. I think the royalty symbols are separate! Scepter crossing a crown. What if I’m supposed to be the scepter and Tobio is the crown. Or vice versa! There are two different types of flowers, but what if they represent just a single person. This makes so much sense now with that weird, constant pressure during the match recently. I thought Tobio was just giving me weird vibes because he wanted to prove something! Ugh. I’m such an idiot with this!  </em></p>
<p>Tooru gripped the edge of the table now, staring blankly into nothingness, mind careening out of control. He was almost certain he was right and reflected on all the displaced expressions he saw on Tobio’s face. All their recent encounters had evidence that it was true, even without ever seeing Tobio’s tattoo. Fingers were suddenly in front of his face, snapping several times. Iwa-chan was standing now too, looking an odd mix of amused, relieved, and knowing. </p>
<p>“He <em> knows, </em> Iwa-chan!” Tooru looked up into his face, refocusing, “he <em> told </em>me he knew his soulmate. I asked him during the first set of inter-high because he was fidgeting so much with his fucking armband!”</p>
<p>Iwaizumi looked surprised at this new information, raising his eyebrows in question, “Did he say anything else?”</p>
<p>“Not much, actually. It pissed me off. I asked him if he knew who his soulmate was and he said ‘yes’, then... then I asked him what they were like..” Tooru sat back down in a soft slump, still looking at Iwa, who mimicked him a moment later and nodded for him to continue, “he said they were ‘ensnaring’..” </p>
<p>Iwa chuckled quietly to himself, still looking at Tooru’s stricken and annoyed face, “Wow. Makes me wonder which soulmate he was referring to”</p>
<p>“What?” Tooru uttered, hushed, and blinked a few times, “Do you think he was referring to the other? Do you think he knows <em> both </em>?”</p>
<p>His friend shrugged nonchalantly, “I mean, he’s not very chatty, is he? Who would even guess he knew such a descriptive word in the first place. He just seems kinda volleyball oriented. Who knows, maybe you are the ensnaring one,” Iwa-chan grinned after using the word, and added smugly, “not the word I would use though.”</p>
<p>“Mean!” Tooru raised his hand to his chest in mock offense, then dropped it and peered down his nose at Iwa with a menacing smile, “Hey, Iwa-chan, did you already know about this?” He punctuated ‘this’ with a head tip towards his tattooed forearm.</p>
<p>Iwa tilted his head back, groaning in mild frustration, and crossed his arms in front of his body defensively, “I had a hunch.” </p>
<p>“What?!” Tooru squawked at him, now actually offended, and sat up straight to better glare at his friend, “how could you have not mentioned this to me?! What kind of a hunch?!”</p>
<p>Iwa-chan returned the scowling glare with one of his own, then it melted into a small irritated pout, “Oh? I thought you didn't give a shit about the soulmate stuff, Shittykawa? I don’t think it was intentional, but you were a little off during that match. Maybe not what you were doing exactly...but you felt off? Not affecting your playing-off, but your.. I don’t know.. your aura?” Iwa sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, like he knew his explanation fell a little flat.</p>
<p>“My.. my aura?” Tooru looked incredulously at Iwa, like he didn’t believe what just popped out of his best friend’s mouth. “What the fuck, Iwa-chan.”</p>
<p>Iwa just gave a sheepish one shouldered shrug, as if to say that he wasn’t going to try explaining it again. Tooru groaned and flopped forward on the table and his textbooks, hiding his head in his arms. <em> Great. This is a whole world of problems. I can’t even begin to think about what to do with this information. </em></p>
<p>After several minutes, Tooru was still hiding in his arms, and he asked very quietly, “What.. what do I do, Iwa-chan? Don’t tell me you miraculously know who my other soulmate is too? This is impossible.” He wasn’t sure if Iwa-chan had heard him. It was silent for a long moment and the anticipation for an answer was starting to eat away at Tooru like acid.</p>
<p>He lifted his head and peeked at Iwa, who was gazing back at him with a calm, contemplative look. “Well.. you should confirm it. So you can be one hundred percent sure we’re right. No, I don’t know who your other soulmate is. If you think Tobio might know, then maybe you know too and just don’t realize, idiot. You could just do the reasonable thing, you know, and ask him. Should I even bother asking you how you feel about him?”</p>
<p>Tooru frowned moodily at his friend and crossed his arms, not rising to the advice or the question. He looked off to the side then brought his hand up to rub at his eyes, but he just stayed like that, trying to avoid Iwa-chan’s expectant gaze. He knew the latter would try to push him into finding a solution or confronting Tobio-chan. Iwa didn’t like dramatic secrets left floating around in the air like bubbles just waiting to pop. Tooru was always mildly surprised Iwa-chan stuck around him for so long, considering he was easily the most dramatic person he knew. But he just chalked it up to being the healthy daily dose of drama Iwa needed in his life and didn’t think twice about it. </p>
<p>“Alright. I’ll figure out what to do before the spring tournament. How about that?” Tooru finally gave way, sitting back in his chair and moving like he was preparing to study again.</p>
<p>Iwaizumi just hummed for a moment in assent, then followed up, “Do whatever you want, Crappykawa. Just don’t terrorize the guy anymore.” Iwaizumi raised up his own book and began reading. Tooru huffed and flipped through the pages idly, distractedly thinking to himself. <em>Whatever I want, huh? What is it that I want? Can I even imagine Tobio differently than what I already know of him? It seems impossible. </em></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. KT</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A lot had changed since they lost to Seijoh during inter-high. Luckily, the third years had decided to stay on and compete in tournaments  to take them to nationals with the first and second years instead of retiring. Tobio was grateful that Suga didn’t seem to hesitate at all in this decision, despite needing to study for college entrance exams. But it was an unexpected comfort to have him remain and help the team grow strong. </p>
<p>Shimizu-san had found a replacement manager that she needed to train for the spring tournament, since the third years would be graduating soon after that. The new girl was nice and smart, but very skittish and it took a little while for her to become comfortable being around all the teammates. Hinata seemed to have an easy time getting along with her. Tobio decided to act like he normally did; but he did try to be more considerate with things he said as he didn’t want to intimidate her further. </p>
<p>Karasuno got an invitation to attend a training camp in Tokyo with Nekoma and a few other schools. The only stipulation was that everyone had to pass their exams that were coming up or they’d have to stay behind and take a supplementary test on the first day of the camp. Since Tobio spent his time focusing on volleyball, which is what he ultimately wanted to do career wise as well, he didn’t put effort into his studies. It was no surprise that Hinata-boke, Tanaka-san, and Nishinoya-san all paled at the stipulation too when informed. Tobio didn’t want to bother Suga to help him, knowing he had his own studies he needed to concentrate on, but he didn’t know what else to do to help him pass the exams.</p>
<p>In a stroke of brief insanity, Hinata had somehow convinced him to ask for Tsukishima’s help with studying as a last ditch effort. The three of them plus Yamaguchi every once in a while had met several times to study. But it was extremely challenging for Tobio as Tsukishima was difficult to understand and get along with on a good day, let alone when his help was required. After a week or so of fumbling through study help with Tsukishima, Yachi-san, the new manager in training, started helping them too. Their study sessions soon morphed into an after school first-year study group hangout, especially with the exams so close. As weird as Tobio found it to be constantly with a group of people outside of volleyball practice, he was starting to get used to it. He was beginning to think that maybe they were all becoming friends, though he still doubted they would put up with him outside of volleyball or study sessions.</p>
<p>On this particular afternoon, he found himself sitting outside on a bench and table setup near the club room after practice, leaning forward with his head in his arms. His homework and study materials splayed across the surface messily, mixing together with Hinata’s papers. The two of them were the only ones with homework to complete still, while the other first years had finished already. Yachi-san was talking quietly with Yamaguchi on the other side of the table about redesigning the poster for the volleyball club. Yamaguchi looked happily bemused by Yachi-san’s enthusiasm. Tobio could tell he had a soft spot for her since she was so cute, admittedly. </p>
<p>He peeked through the narrow slot created by his arms at Tsukishima, who had found himself trapped, sitting between Tobio and Hinata. The icy blonde looked like he’d rather be anywhere else at the moment, as Hinata was practically buzzing with boredom and about to rocket off the bench any second. Tobio was surprised Tsukishima had agreed to continue tutoring them even after Yachi-san joined because of his blatant disdain for the task. Yachi-san could clearly handle tutoring both of them, so it puzzled him. Tobio lifted off his arms and scrubbed his face with his palms, then picked up a pencil again to take another go at his English work. </p>
<p>“So, the king resurfaces from the depths of his despair” Tsukishima remarked quietly.</p>
<p>“Yeah, whatever, don’t call me that.” Tobio responded lazily. He had grown used to the nickname by now and rarely snarled at the taunt anymore. </p>
<p>“Or maybe you were daydreaming of taking a stroll in the proverbial garden.” Tsukishima commented even more quietly, his eyes lingering on Tobio’s forearm briefly. Tobio glanced at his own arm, imitating Tsukishima’s movement. His club jacket sleeve had been pushed up above his elbow, most of his soulmate tattoo exposed. The entwining flowers and nearly all the crown and scepter winked back at him in the late afternoon light that reflected off his arm. Tobio looked back up to Tsukishima, confusion painting his face colorfully with a light blush. <em> Is he talking about Suga?! Does he know about me and Suga?! </em></p>
<p>“Huh?” </p>
<p>“Eloquent as always. Anyway, I’ve been wanting to ask you..” Tsukishima started, gazing back at Tobio curiously, most of his usual sneer absent from his expression, “Have you approached him yet?”</p>
<p>Tobio just stared at Tsukishima, wide eyed and mouth falling open ever so slightly as if caught doing something he shouldn’t have. He noticed in his periphery that everyone else at the table was suddenly silent, still, and listening in as well, despite how quietly Tsukishima was speaking. He closed his mouth and looked back to his work, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” </p>
<p>Tsukishima hummed in response, crossed his arms, and turned his body a little more towards Tobio, like he was preparing himself for a social siege, “Don’t bother pretending. I’ve seen them all. I’m just curious to know how it’ll affect the spring tournament. From what I can tell, you haven’t told him yet. Do you think he knows?” <em> Oh. He definitely knows about Suga. Is he talking about Oikawa-san, then? He’s seen them all, huh? Is there even a point deflecting now?  </em></p>
<p>“It’s really none of your business, but no, I haven’t talked to him. Suga-san hasn’t either. It’s a tricky situation that will ultimately affect more than going to nationals for me. I have no idea if he knows, but he’s extremely perceptive and analytical, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he figures it out somehow even though we’ve always been covered up.” He came clean, folding his own arms across his chest and turning towards Tsukishima in challenge. It must have looked funny, the two of them sitting on the bench like that, with Hinata leaning around Tsukishima, gaping at Tobio; but the mood was heavy. </p>
<p>Tsukishima’s expression opened up, maybe in surprise that Tobio was so blunt and honest about his predicament. The blonde’s arms slouched from his body and he leaned more casually on the table, still maintaining his attention on Tobio and replied, “I see.”</p>
<p>Tobio kept up his posture, not believing for a second that Tsukishima was done with his invasion and waited. Hinata started fidgeting in the silence that followed, his whole body now leaning over his work on the table and broke the silence, “K-Kageyama... What is Tsukki talking about? You and Suga-san are okay, right?”</p>
<p>Tobio huffed a sigh and slumped from his rigidity, rubbing his face again from the exhaustion he was feeling with this conversation, “Yes, idiot, we’re fine. I just don’t want to push things. He’s talking about our third soulmate.”</p>
<p>“Y-you and Sugawara-san are s-soulmates, and you have another that you know b-but haven’t talked to yet?!” Yachi-san gasped in surprise, obviously having no idea about any of this since she just joined the club a few weeks ago. Yamaguchi also wore a look of mild shock. <em> I see, so Tsukishima hasn’t been discussing soulmate stuff behind my back. That’s kind of interesting. I wonder why he didn’t say anything to Yamaguchi if he knew all along.  </em></p>
<p>“Yes, Yachi-san. Suga-san and I are dating, actually. But we haven’t exactly made an announcement or anything like that. The other in our bond is... problematic”</p>
<p>Tsukishima laughed. Tobio’s eyes snapped back to him and he gave a death glare, not that it would do anything to intimidate the snarky beanpole anyway.</p>
<p>“Sorry, Kageyama,” Yamaguchi finally chimed in, gaining Tobio’s attention, “That’s wonderful. That you’ve met your soulmates and you’re with one of them already. I’m a bit jealous, to be honest... can-can you tell us who the other is? The rest of us don’t know...” and he gave Tsukishima a quick questioning glance, who just shrugged offhandedly. <em> Why do they want to know? I don’t see how this information would help them? </em></p>
<p>“I...guess so...” Tobio tilted his head slightly, considering the possible ramifications of exposing his personal information, “It’s Oikawa-san, from Seijoh.”</p>
<p>“The Great King?!” Hinata nearly shrieked, flying off his seat and ending up on the table, kneeling on all fours and ruffling the papers everywhere. He stared into Tobio’s face, looking completely aghast. </p>
<p>Tobio flinched back, sucking air through his teeth and winced at his loud friend. </p>
<p>Tsukishima rolled his eyes at Hinata and used a hand to lightly shove him back off the table, then turned back to Tobio, “Yes, yes, it’s very surprising. The guy clearly doesn’t flaunt his body around publicly or appear in local volleyball magazines gushing about his personal interests or anything like that.” He remarked sarcastically. </p>
<p>
  <em> Oh.  </em>
</p>
<p>Tobio blinked blankly at Tsukishima a few times before shaking himself from his stupor, “Oh. When you put it like that, it does seem kind of obvious... especially if you’re on our team or pay attention to tattoos...” he trailed off, lost in thought. <em> I guess it would be more surprising if everyone on our team didn’t know.  </em></p>
<p>“Oh hey Kageyama, don’t worry about that. I didn’t realize it until now, and neither did Hinata. It’s not as obvious as Tsukki is making it seem.” Yamaguchi said gently and sent an admonishing look at Tsukishima, who just scoffed and raised his hands in placating surrender. </p>
<p>“Whatever. Listen, I only brought it up in the first place because of the pressure during the inter-high match. It was smothering and I’d rather not play in that atmosphere again. I think you should confront him about it. Besides, I’m going to go out on a limb and consider your sanity for a second here, don’t die of shock but.. holding this kind of secret back, especially if there’s a chance everyone involved knows and are avoiding it, will drive you crazy. You’ll make rash decisions and lose your cool, your highness. Let’s try to keep the drama off the court, okay?”</p>
<p>Hinata squawked and started rambling a string of gibberish heatedly at Tsukishima while pushing his shoulder with one hand and gesturing wildly with the other. Tobio only caught a few words here and there while the other two just stared at Tsukishima silently in various states of shock. Tobio frowned at him then took a deep breath in and out to remain calm. <em> Asshole beanpole.  </em></p>
<p>“I’ll think about it, okay? Thanks for your concern.” He said coolly, then mumbled, “maybe you should worry about your own soulmate being able to put up with your bad personality...”</p>
<p>“Oh, trust me, I am.” Tsukishima responded so faintly that Tobio nearly missed it. He was certain the others had as the blonde’s lips barely moved. <em> I almost wanna know, but I don’t. </em></p>
<p>Tobio went back to his homework, finding relief in that he only had a few problems left and could escape the table soon. Hinata was still ranting on the other side of Tsukishima, but now Yamaguchi and Yachi-san’s voices joined the mix occasionally. Tobio heard stray exclamations of ‘soulmates’, and ‘bond’, and ‘idiot’, and ‘lifelong’, but Tobio resolutely ignored the conversation and focused on his studies. </p>
<p>“Tobio,” a familiar voice called out from a few paces away.</p>
<p>He looked up quickly for the source and easily found Suga’s eyes. He didn’t know if it was outwardly visible, but he relaxed instantly at the sight of his soulmate’s calming presence. </p>
<p>“Let me walk you home?” Suga asked lightly, wandering over to the table and smiling amiably at the other first years. </p>
<p>Tobio nodded, “Yes,” he murmured, and started packing all his notebooks and loose papers somewhat haphazardly into his bag. Suga sat down next to Yamaguchi while Tobio packed and they started chatting about jump-float serves, Yachi-san asking questions and Hinata singing praises to Yamaguchi for learning such a challenging serve. Tobio glanced around to make sure he wasn’t missing anything and caught Tsukishima’s narrowed gaze. The grouch had disengaged himself from the world with a pair of headphones, but it seemed like he was still very carefully watching everyone’s actions. Tobio nodded at him, a short goodbye or maybe a thanks, and started to walk around the table. </p>
<p>He reached Suga and ran a hand casually across his back, shoulder to shoulder to get his attention, “I’m ready.” </p>
<p>Tobio peered around at the others and raised his other hand in a stiff wave. Hinata shouted goodbye, but his eyes were somehow stuck on Tobio’s occupied hand, which was still lingering on Suga. Yachi-san blinked rapidly but bowed a quick, nervous goodbye, and Yamaguchi gave a polite wave. They all seemed somewhat surprised by Tobio’s physical friendliness towards Suga.</p>
<p>“Okay! See you all at practice tomorrow.” Suga smiled brightly at the others and stood up to leave with Tobio. </p>
<p>They were nearly at the entrance gate to the school before Suga spoke, “I think you surprised them. Are you feeling ok? You seemed really tense when I first saw you. I hope your studying isn’t going <em> that </em>badly.” </p>
<p>“I’m alright. Tsukishima called me out on our soulmate situation. Apparently, he’s known this whole time. He asked me about Oikawa-san. He.. he thinks I should confront Oikawa-san before the spring tournament. He said a few other things too but..” Tobio slumped, stressed now by the prospect of confessing the soulmate bond to Oikawa-san.</p>
<p>Suga tsk-ed in irritation and put his hands on his hips, “Saltyshima!” </p>
<p>Tobio looked back at Suga blankly for a moment, then his face broke out into a wide smile, “Hah!”</p>
<p>Suga grinned back, “Oh my! All I had to do was insult poor Tsukishima to get you to laugh?” And he lightly smacked his arm, but Tobio kept the smile for a few moments longer before returning to his normal frown and silence.</p>
<p>“So, earlier this week, I had a chance to talk with Takeda-sensei and Coach Ukai. I needed to inform them of the bond... it would have ended up being problematic to keep it as some sort of secret.. sorry I didn’t tell you first. The opportunity just came up and I didn’t want to let it get away.” Suga said apprehensively.</p>
<p>“Oh, that’s okay. It’s not like I wanted to keep anything a secret. I just never usually end up talking to others about soulmate stuff. I guess that’s changed now though...Tsukishima’s an asshole.”</p>
<p>“Pfft! Tobio! You really shouldn’t call your friend an asshole. He’s definitely antagonistic though. Anyway, I’m glad you’re okay with people knowing about our bond. I’m pretty sure nearly the whole team knows. I think you’ve missed some of the tattoo conversations that Tanaka shouts about in the clubroom...” Suga smiled pleasantly at him while they walked and talked.</p>
<p>“Tanaka-san shouts about tattoos? I guess I just don’t pay attention well enough..” Tobio trailed off a bit, feeling sheepish for ignoring his teammates’ interests unless it was about volleyball. <em> So people normally do pay attention to the tattoos then. </em>“What-what did coach and Takeda-sensei say?”</p>
<p>“Oh, it’s no problem. They were surprised at first. It was kinda funny actually. They started saying something about making sure we don’t let it affect our club participation but didn’t even give me the full lecture. I think they realized half way through their speech that you were one of the people being ‘affected’ and realized it wasn’t going to happen.” Suga tilted his head like he was recalling the scene in his mind, a more devilish grin flashing across his face. </p>
<p>Tobio’s lips quirked upwards at the insinuation that he would let anything affect volleyball. He felt more at ease than before with Suga gently talking to him, even if the subject matter was more difficult for him to endure. He glanced over at Suga, who was looking up slightly at the sky now while they walked, a happy smile on his face, a breeze picking up stands of his hair. All of it made Tobio feel light and pleasant and he slipped his hand into Suga’s in a fluid move, interlacing their fingers. Suga startled at the gesture for only a fraction of a second, turning his head and looking at Tobio in question.</p>
<p>“I think.. I think I need a little more time. Before we tell Oikawa-san. Tsukishima asked me if I thought Oikawa-san knew.. about our bond, that is.. I told him that he’s analytical and I wouldn’t be surprised if he figured it out without us telling him. What.. what do you think?” Tobio chanced a small glance at Suga’s expression nervously. He was still looking directly into Tobio’s face, but now he looked quizzical.</p>
<p>“Hmmm.. you’re probably right. However, based on his umm.. extroverted personality... I would think that he would say something if knew. Honestly, it’s possible he’d be able to figure out your bond with him with just the imagery and all, but I doubt he’d think of mine. He just doesn’t know me. I have no past history with him whatsoever. I’m sorry if that makes the bond harder on you... I-I know he likes to pick on you...I wonder if he still would if he knew of your bond?” Suga murmured the last bit to himself but Tobio heard it anyway. He also wondered the same thing a few times previously, but knowing Oikawa-san, he probably would. <em> I can’t imagine Oikawa-san being genuinely nice to me, let alone affectionate like Suga is.. maybe ripping the bandaid off and just telling him would be for the best. But I need to get a solid grip first.  </em></p>
<p>Tobio shrugged and answered, “He probably would.” </p>
<p>Suga giggled breathily at the prediction, then brought his free hand up to run though his own hair and push some of it off his forehead. “We can wait. But I think we really should talk with him before the spring tournament.”</p>
<p>Tobio nodded slowly, nearly too distracted from responding by watching the breeze swish Suga’s hair around again, light catching and filtering though it prettily. Tobio pouted slightly as they kept walking down the road, nearing his house. <em> I keep letting myself fall further into Suga. He really is like the entangling flowers of our tattoo. It suits him so perfectly. </em></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. OT</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“O-Oikawa-san!” A low, oddly familiar voice shouted in surprise.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru looked up from his nephew. They were walking along outside the gym where his nephew took volleyball lessons. Practice had just ended and Tooru volunteered to pick him up and bring him home. He did not anticipate a run in with his suspected, sullen, soulmate, however, and tried very hard to wipe the surprise off his face. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh no! What does he want? I can’t talk with him now! Not with Takeru here too... is he going to tell me about the bond? Is his tattoo showing? </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru studied the other appraisingly with a suspicious frown, quickly assessing Tobio’s appearance. He was wearing his white short sleeved button down school shirt and black slacks. His uniform was neatly fit on his frame, everything tucked in appropriately, but Tobio himself looked worse for wear. His body was slouched slightly like he was about to sprint off, clearly startled by the abrupt run in as well. Tooru’s eyes roamed his face briefly, mild concern growing in the back of his mind. Tobio looked like he had recently been in a fist fight. He had a bruise and maybe a small cut on his cheek covered by a bandage. Tooru wondered if it was just the result of a stray volleyball, but it really didn’t look like a ball shaped incident. Suddenly remembering that he wanted to confirm the tattoo match, he glanced discretely at Tobio’s forearm. It was exposed. They were a match. Tooru was fleetingly shocked by this unexpected reveal. But then again, it was now becoming clear that Tobio had not planned on seeking him out today. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Shit.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“O-Oikawa-san, what are you doing here?” Tobio-chan asked more normally, saving face from his earlier shout out. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru placed a hand on his hip and shifted his weight to his more sturdy knee. He decided to try to ground himself for whatever Tobio was going to say and replied neutrally, “watching my nephew.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey!” Takeru greeted happily.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“H-hey...” Tobio nodded towards Takeru politely. He still looked relatively skittish and Tooru tilted his head slightly, wondering if he really would bolt. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What about club?” Tobio asked. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We usually have Mondays off.” Tooru replied coolly, watching as Tobio straightened up looking surprised.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Y-you guys get a break once a week? What a waste!” Tobio responded incredulously, but he seemed calmer and distracted now, less like a flight risk. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What am I even doing, talking with him right now?! This is a dangerous situation. I don’t want to say something stupid or end up talking about the bond. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru tried to keep as neutral an expression as possible and continued walking, moving to pass Tobio, and replied, “Getting rest and ditching practice are two different things. See ya.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“O-Oikawa-san, umm...” Tobio looked like he was about to burst with wanting to say something. </span>
  <em>
    <span>No no no! Don’t tell me anything! I can’t deal with this right now! </span>
  </em>
  <span>Tooru started to lose his cool, he hadn’t been able to decide how to approach this situation and was working very hard to avoid it at all costs. Luckily, Iwa-chan hadn’t brought it up again since their chat in the library, but standing around with the subject of his internal ire was not helping.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nope! Stupid! You’re stupid! You stupid face!” Tooru taunted childishly with full on mocking gestures to go with it, sticking his tongue out and swishing his hand through the air. Tobio paled and stared back for a moment. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Crap. What am I thinking?! Worst deflection ever! I’m so glad Iwa-chan isn’t here to see this right now.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oikawa-san..” Tobio-chan tried again, now looking a funny mix of nervous and concerned.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nope! Can’t hear you! Can’t hear a thing!” Tooru denied him, still carrying on with his silly  motions. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio stiffened then bowed deeply and said, “Please, listen to what I have to say.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru completely ceased his evasion tactic and stood up straight. He looked haughtily back at Tobio, turning his body away slightly, preparing to leave, “Why do I have to go out of my way to listen to what an enemy is going to say?” </span>
  <em>
    <span>Yes! I’ll feign obliviousness and escape! We’re rivals Tobio-chan! Rivals! Nothing else!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio didn’t give up though, despite Tooru walking away; his nephew keeping pace, looking mildly interested in all the drama but equally annoyed at his uncle. Tobio chased him down and bowed again, begging for him to listen. Tooru balked at Tobio’s incessant begging. It was hard to handle seeing him this way and completely unsightly for Tobio to be requesting his attention like this after everything that happened between them in the past. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I guess I can’t avoid this. Let’s just get it over with, then. But first, proof. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He instructed Takeru casually to take a picture of Tobio’s groveling, telling Tobio not to move and gleefully taking advantage of his soulmate’s embarrassing position, “I’ll call this, ‘Tobio is no match for Oikawa!’” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tooru, you’re actually happy about this picture? Lame.” Takeru questioned, disbelievingly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru let out a ‘geh’ sound at his nephew, but moved on and resumed a serious posture, looking back to Tobio. He asked in a stern tone, done with his deflections, “Well, what do you want? I’m busy, you know.” He ran a hand through his hair, taking up a casual mood. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Takeru-chan chimed in, “You said your girlfriend dumped you, so you had free time!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Takeru, shut up!” Tooru snipped back, glaring at his nephew. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What? But when you came, you said you didn’t know what you did wrong.” Takeru continued. Tooru noticed in his periphery that Tobio had finally stood up from his bowed position and was looking at them with a mostly blank but maybe irritated expression. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru ignored him and continued to bicker with his relative, “I said shut up!” He quickly checked in with Tobio again to see if he was derailed from his request, but his soulmate was scowling and looking quizzically at Tooru.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, uh, what if you were close to a tournament, and, uh...” Tobio started, then looked around like he wasn’t quite sure how to phrase something. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh no. Here it comes. Is he going to mention the weird energy during the tournament? Is that when he first noticed our connection? </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio continued, seemingly unaware of Tooru’s internal plight, “.. and Iwaizumi-san said he was going to try some impossible attack...” </span>
  <em>
    <span>Iwaizumi? What does he have to do with this? Start making sense, Tobio-chan! </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait. If you want to talk to me about something, quit it with the dumb ‘what if’ story and just be up front with it.” Tooru frowned and stared at Tobio. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Out with it already. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio looked mildly displeased at his remark, but Tooru wasn’t sure since he wore that expression in most of their encounters. His soulmate continued begrudgingly with a grimace, “Hinata has been hitting the fast attack balls without looking at them until now. But now he says he wants to hit them if his own will.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>What. He wanted to talk about Chibi-chan and volleyball?! Seriously?! </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru screamed in his own head at this situation, but defiantly kept his outward cool and responded snidely, “oh, really? That’d be pretty impressive if he could do it. Why not let him?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Please don’t make it sound so easy! Hinata has no concept of technique!” Tobio refuted loudly, his fists clenching in his apparent frustration that seemed a little too flustered to really be about spiking volleyballs. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What the hell, Tobio-chan. We’re ignoring the soulmate thing and you’re complaining about your kingly ways to me?! I’m starting to guess where you got that bruise... </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So you’re saying ‘just do what I tell you to do’ or something?” Tooru smirked and raised an eyebrow at Tobio. He gave his soulmate a withering look when he didn’t deny it and commented, “That’s like a dictator, you know. Have you put any thought into it? About whether or not you’re fully responding to Chibi-chan with a toss that he wants? Have you even tried to?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio’s face lit up affronted for a moment, but then he shifted his gaze around until he ended up staring at the ground looking somewhat guilty. </span>
  <em>
    <span>That’s what I thought. I’m just going to tell you how it is, Tobio-chan. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“</span>
  </em>
  <span>If you’re thinking the situation is as good as it can be and you’re being defensive about it, you’re basically a coward. Don’t get the wrong idea. The one who has leadership in an attack isn’t you... it’s Chibi-chan.” Tooru informed the younger setter gravely, pointing at him dramatically for extra effect. He straightened up and dropped his hand to his side then said, “If you can’t understand that, you’re just regressing back to playing the tyrant king. Let’s go, Takeru.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru strolled away down the walkway, Takeru-chan following along. He didn’t get a chance to read Tobio’s face after his advice, but he could guess that his soulmate was upset now. At least he didn’t have to talk with him about their bond. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Tobio, you nearly gave me a heart attack. But I’m glad I can avoid talking to you about the bond for a while longer. I just don’t know what to think of it yet or what I want. Cleary, you still have a lot of growing to do and haven’t broken away from your old habits yet. If you don’t break those habits, we’ll be able to squash you again at the spring tournament. At least we’re both invested in volleyball. I guess that ultimately, we have that in common. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He considered it lucky that Tobio only talked about volleyball, and continued down the street happily humming a little tune.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you in a good mood, Tooru?” Takeru-chan asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m happy Tobio-chan’s more run down than I thought he was.” Tooru glanced at his phone, curious to see the picture Takeru captured then whined, “I’m blurry!”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. SK</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Suga looked across the small table he was seated at and prodded Daichi with a firm poke to his side. The latter was hunched over the table, squashing study materials, and leaning over a textbook that Suga needed to complete a homework problem. It was late on a Monday night, but they had a quiz the next day, so they had decided to study at Daichi’s house for the evening. </p>
<p>“Ouch!” Daichi gasped, shooting an annoyed glance at Suga before returning to his paper.</p>
<p>“Can I have that book? It’s not a pillow, you know?” Suga replied, grumpily. Usually he was in a better mood, but recent events made him a little on edge. His blunt and relatively unyielding boyfriend got into a physical fight with their best friend only the previous day. Suga was shocked when he found out that the two had stayed late to practice after they got back from the Tokyo training camp.</p>
<p>Tobio had explained afterwards that Hinata wanted to try to hit the freak-quick without closing his eyes, but it didn’t work. The younger setter was frustrated because he wanted his teammate to work on improving moves that would score points during a game and not waste time trying a move that they couldn’t even pull off. In the end, Suga was grateful Tanaka got between them and broke up the fight before it escalated even further. However, he was slightly worried about the team balance as the freak duo weren’t on speaking terms anymore. They only had two weeks until the last training camp in Tokyo before the spring nationals preliminary matches. If the two first years couldn’t work out their differences, it would be nearly impossible to compete at a level necessary to win. Beyond that, he knew Tobio didn’t make friends very easily and the pair were really close, like himself and Daichi. Suga mused to himself about his scrappy soulmate, getting lost in thought instead of snagging that book. <em> Definitely not boring.  </em></p>
<p>“You alright Suga? You’ve been staring down this book for a while now, so do you want it or not?” Daichi asked cautiously, holding out the book to Suga. </p>
<p>“Oh. Sorry, yes. I was thinking about the duo’s fight yesterday.” He grabbed the book and opened it, flipping to the page he needed, “It was pretty bad. I mean, Daichi, they were all roughed up!” </p>
<p>“Are you mad?” Daichi asked quietly, folding his hands in front of him, but still leaning heavily on the table.</p>
<p>“Ahh... no, not really. It’s obvious that Hinata would want to improve his skills too and be able to hold his own, but I do get where Tobio is coming from as well. You know, they asked for advice at the training camp and Coach even put in his two cents, but I think now it’s escalated to a problem beyond developing a skill. I’m a bit worried.. They’re really good friends, but Tobio is not the best with expressing himself clearly... though Hinata is good at reading between the lines.. Oh I don’t know!” Suga sighed and squeezed his own cheeks between his hands, trying to relieve the tension in his face.</p>
<p>“Hey, They’ll be fine, I think. They’ve always had kind of a friendly rivalry thing going on anyway, remember the first day they joined club? I think they’ll figure it out with some time.” Daichi placated, his hands coming up and hovering in front of him as if to say ‘it’s okay’.</p>
<p>“Yeah, you’re righ-“ Suga started to say, but his phone startled him by ringing loudly into the quiet space around them. He glanced apologetically at Daichi, who shrugged and nodded, then Suga answered the call. </p>
<p>
  <b> <em>Incoming call from Tobio&lt;3 9:58PM</em> </b>
</p>
<p>“Hello?”</p>
<p><em> “Suga. Hey.” </em>Tobio’s voice came through the phone speaker sounding low, but not upset.</p>
<p>“Hey. Are you okay? Did something happen?” Suga asked apprehensively.</p>
<p>“<em>What? Oh, no. Sorry for worrying you. But yeah, some things did happen today, and I needed to talk with you about it, do you have a minute?”  </em></p>
<p>Suga glanced at Daichi, who just shrugged again, obviously hearing a one-sided conversation, but not minding the interruption. His friend’s eyes refocused on the papers in front of him, giving way to more privacy.</p>
<p>“Yeah, of course. What’s up? Did you talk with Hinata?”</p>
<p>“<em>Ummm...no. But-but I ran into Oikawa-san today, in town.” </em>Tobio said quietly and it came through somewhat hesitant, like a secret.</p>
<p>“Oh? Did you have a chance to talk with him?” Suga couldn’t fathom Tobio confronting Oikawa by himself at the moment, but he’d been surprised more than once by his boyfriend in the past. Tobio was somewhat unpredictable.</p>
<p>“<em>Yes. But he was with his nephew. I-I was going to bring up the bond... but he started being.. umm. I’m not sure I can describe it. Whatever it was, I-I lost my nerve, honestly. I ended up just complaining about Hinata-boke. He did talk to me about Shrimpy after I mentioned it, gave me advice. I’m surprised he talked to me about that, actually. I mean, I didn’t really want to hear it, but it was helpful. He was an asshole about it though.. </em>” Tobio said everything quickly. </p>
<p>“Wow.. What did he tell you to do?” Suga tiptoed around the subject of the soulmate bond. He was almost certain that Tobio would bring it up again before this conversation was over.</p>
<p><em> “Uh.. he said that Hinata had the lead in attacks, not me, and that I should give him the kinds of tosses that he wants, and if I didn’t I would become a tyrant king again.” </em>Tobio mumbled all in one breath.</p>
<p>“I see. What do you think?” Suga prodded carefully, keeping his voice casual.</p>
<p>
  <em> “Yeah. I can see what he means. So, Coach Ukai randomly called me earlier too.”  </em>
</p>
<p>“Huh? About what?” Suga answered, confused. It took a few seconds for Suga to process the shift in conversation.</p>
<p><em> “He has this idea for giving Hinata more attacking options mid-air. But I have to figure out how to kill the ball at his striking point so it falls instead of flying past him. Anyway, I can do it. I tried it out a few times with Coach. It’s going to take some work to perfect it across the length of the court though. </em>” Tobio told Suga excitedly. He sounded determined and hopeful, and it made Suga let out a breath of relief.</p>
<p>“That’s incredible, Tobio, I can’t wait to see it.” Suga replied, smiling into his phone. </p>
<p><em> “So.. can I ask you for a favor, Suga..” </em> Tobio said quietly, his voice shifting back to low and hesitant again. </p>
<p>“Yes, what is it?” Suga responded, stilted at the sudden shift in conversational tone. Suga was starting to feel like he was riding a very indecisive rollercoaster.</p>
<p><em> “When-when I ran into Oikawa-san earlier, it was so sudden. I don’t know how to put this.. I’m not good at saying what I really mean a lot of the time. I don’t know. But you’re right about talking to him before spring preliminaries. If-If you’d feel like it, maybe you could talk with him? After this afternoon, I’m not sure I can. I don’t think he’ll let me...it took a lot to get him to talk to me in the first place and we didn’t even talk about anything other than volleyball.” </em>Tobio asked, almost timidly like he wasn’t sure if it was the right decision or maybe if he should be asking such a thing of Suga. </p>
<p>“Hmmm. Yes. I’ll reach out to him then.” Suga replied with certainty. He wanted to comfort Tobio in this situation. It may be a win-win if Suga was able to approach Oikawa himself, especially if the snotty setter was being just as incorrigible as Tobio made it seem. It was possible Suga could bridge the gap between them somehow.</p>
<p>“<em>What? Really?” </em>Tobio sounded startled, yet relieved.</p>
<p>“Yeah, it’ll be alright, okay? Like I’ve said before, I don’t have any history with him, so maybe this way makes more sense. Don’t you think?” Suga said lightly like it wasn’t a big deal.</p>
<p>“<em>Thanks. I’m really glad.” </em> Tobio muttered, but Suga couldn’t quite pick up on his exact emotions over the phone. He seemed relieved, maybe, but Suga frowned slightly at not being able to see his face. Tobio continued after a pause, “ <em> listen, I gotta go. See you at practice tomorrow. Thanks, Suga. You’re amazing, you know?” </em></p>
<p><em> “ </em>D-Don’t mind, have a good night,” Suga stuttered out a goodbye and Tobio hung up before he could say anything else. </p>
<p>Suga let his phone fall into his lap and took a deep breath in, letting it out slowly. In retrospect, it was nice Tobio had called him so soon after a day that sounded pretty overwhelming. Suga was starting to get the feeling that Tobio really did see him as a person of comfort, despite the short length of their relationship so far. He scratched the side of his cheek idly and stared at his now silent phone as he pondered the best way to reach out to Oikawa. Daichi laughed lightly from the other side of the table and Suga’s eyes shot up to him. </p>
<p>“What?” Suga tilted his head in question.</p>
<p>“Oh, nothing,” Daichi smirked, making it obvious that it wasn’t ‘nothing’, and he continued after a beat, “listening to one side of that conversation was really interesting. Not that I meant to eavesdrop..”</p>
<p>“Hmmm? Why’s that?” Suga didn’t mind that Daichi was paying attention to his call, but he wanted to know what was so interesting about it to an outside observer.</p>
<p>“Just, it’s funny. You barely said anything, but usually you’re chatty. It was interesting to see that Kageyama-kun has this ability to completely tie you up. Also, it sounded like he had a lot to say. Usually he just brings up strategies, or tries to compliment others on the court more recently, but he’s not talkative with others.” Daichi finished his analysis, rubbing his chin in thought.</p>
<p>“Yeah.. my hands are full.” Suga responded dazedly, still stuck in thought about the situation and what Daichi mentioned. <em> Really, Daichi? I didn’t realize it looked like this.. how am I going to handle Oikawa too? Tobio is a lot, with how unpredictable he is...and I know Oikawa’s a schemer. </em></p>
<p>Daichi laughed again and crossed his arms, looking at Suga, waiting for him to snap out of the daze. </p>
<p>“Hey! Wait a minute! Let’s just say I bring out the best in him and call it a day!” Suga pouted, finally realizing Daichi’s tease and continued sarcastically, “Besides he did mention volleyball. All hope is not lost.” </p>
<p>Daichi smiled, “Of course he did. So, is everything alright? Kinda late for a call, I didn’t know your relationship was so far advanced.”</p>
<p>Suga lunged across the table and flicked Daichi square in the forehead harshly, making him tip back bodily. He ignored Daichi’s yelp of surprise and replied, “Cut it out, it’s not. He ran into Oikawa today and wanted to tell me about it. I guess it didn’t go well. He asked me to talk with Oikawa.. he seems to think Oikawa won’t give him the time of day at this point. I kinda wonder about that.. so, now the question is, how should I approach Oikawa? It needs to happen, and I’ll gladly talk to him, take some of the stress off Tobio..”</p>
<p>“Do you want his number?” Daichi asked, nonchalantly, then looked at Suga appraisingly for a millisecond, “you’re really sweet, Suga. You really care for Kageyama, don’t you.” </p>
<p>Suga blanched at the sudden compliment from his best friend. He knew he wasn’t really asking about his affections for Tobio, and realizing that his actions made it obvious was a little embarrassing.</p>
<p>“Oh? Why do you have my handsome, heartbreaker-soulmate’s number, Daichi-kun?” Suga deflected, putting on a cloyingly mischievous smile, “if he breaks your heart, don’t come crying to me..” </p>
<p>Daichi rolled his eyes at Suga’s antics, “ha ha, very funny. We exchanged information at one of the previous practice matches. I keep in touch with all the teams’ captains we have practice matches with. I only text with a few of them though. Not with Oikawa, actually, so I don’t know how he’ll respond to you texting him.”</p>
<p>“Hah! I know, I know. Yeah, can you share it with me then?” Suga replied easily, giving a little wave of his hand in the air dismissively and using the other to pass Daichi his phone.</p>
<p>Daichi smiled and gave a short nod, taking the phone and inputting Oikawa’s contact information. </p>
<p>“Thanks, Daichi. I guess we’ll find out how he responds soon..” Suga sighed, taking back his phone then smirking at his friend, “So, which captains have you been talking to so much?”</p>
<p>Daichi laughed, evading the question completely, and trained his attention back to his homework.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. OT</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Breathing heavily, Tooru walked over to his gym bag and grabbed his water bottle. It was practice on a Saturday a few weeks out from spring preliminaries and he felt exhausted after just doing serves for an hour straight. He took a long draw of water, peeking around the gym out of the corner of his eye at his teammates. Everyone looked exhausted from the practice as it was nearly over.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t even think about staying another hour, idiot. You’ll blow out your knee again.” Iwaizumi scolded, shortening the distance between them and picking up his own water bottle. The team was winding down, finishing up stretches and starting to pack up their gear and the gym. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ok, mom.” Tooru responded flatly, but Iwa-chan just scoffed, looking too worn out to bicker. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A bright pinging noise sounded from Tooru’s gym bag and he glanced over to it dubiously. “Ugh, I hope that’s not a plea to watch Takeru again.. Oh! But maybe he’ll want me to teach him my serve!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iwa-chan rolled his eyes and grumbled something about being a good uncle and not over practicing even with an eight year old while Tooru snagged his phone. </span>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>New chat message from Unknown</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Unknown </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>2:03PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>Hi! Is this Oikawa-san? </span>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Aliens&lt;3 </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>2:04PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>Yes, who is this?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Unknown </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>2:04PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>Great! This is Sugawara Koushi, from Karasuno’s volleyball team. We have something in common that we should discuss. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tooru raised his eyebrows at his phone, the random message completely throwing him for a loop. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Sugawara Koushi? Who’s that?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Aliens&lt;3 </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>2:06PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>Oh? And what would that be? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tooru stared at his phone for a few more seconds, but nothing happened. He shrugged and started putting away his gear in his gym bag, noticing his teammates around him doing the same. The ping sound filled the air and he snatched his phone back up. Immediately, he was met with a picture of a very familiar looking tattoo. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Holy shit!” He gasped loudly, completely surprised and nearly dropping his phone like it had stung him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Trashykawa, what now?” Iwa-chan asked, alarmed, taking a few steps closer with his arm reaching out to catch Tooru if he tipped over.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My mystery soulmate just texted me.. with picture proof.” Oikawa paled and glanced up at his best friend. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe you should sit down.” Makki-chan suggested blandly, but taking an interest in the situation anyway. A few of the other teammates had wandered over too, after hearing Tooru’s outburst, curious over what drama he was stirring up now. Tooru plopped down on the bench and looked at Iwaizumi with pleading eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Says his name’s Sugawara Koushi,” Tooru said quietly, looking distraught, “Iwa-chan, who’s that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iwaizumi looked back at him incredulously, his mouth falling open slightly before he frowned and crossed his arms, “Sugawara from Karasuno? Well now, this is a surprise.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Obviously! Iwa-chan! Which one are they?!” Tooru replied haughtily, getting agitated at being left in the dark. Makki-chan and Mattsun shared a heavy look then burst out laughing while Iwaizumi rubbed a palm over his own face in clear annoyance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wow Captain, I thought you dug deep into all your opponents and learned their weaknesses.. did you forget our inter-high match with Karasuno or something?” Makki-chan asked, sounding innocently curious, but Tooru knew it was a front.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nah, I have more faith in our Captain than that.. he probably just gave him a cutesy nickname and called it a day.” Matsukawa added solemnly, nodding in mock approval.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey! Guys, come on. This is kind of important to my overall happiness for the rest of my life, probably.. just tell me which one-“ Tooru began sternly, but Iwaizumi interrupted him before he could finish.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think we should.” Iwa-chan was staring Tooru down like he was about to hand him a large piece of learn your lesson pie, “Tooru, I think you should talk to him in person to resolve this. It’ll probably be for the best if you don’t over analyze your soulmate before you talk with them properly. Look what’s going on with you and Kageyama-kun right now. I know you’re avoiding it. Don’t think I don’t know about that little run in you had with him a week ago, Takeru told me all about it. Also, you should change the background picture on your phone, trashykawa.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tooru openly gaped at his best friend, not really having a solid response formed yet to Iwa-chan’s scarily sound reasoning. He grimaced and stared down at his phone, deciding not to respond to Iwaizumi. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Seriously, Iwa-chan. You’re making me set up a blind date with my other soulmate, why?! Okay. I know why. But still, rude! If I knew your soulmate, I’d tell you right away! Ugh. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>His teammates were still standing around in a little half circle watching him casually when he glanced back up briefly. Tooru sighed and brought his phone up to his face to type out a message but said to his friends, “Fine. Blind date it is. But I’m not changing my background picture, it gives me inspiration.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Aliens&lt;3 </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>2:15PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>We should meet and talk. Are you free today? </span>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Sugawara Koushi </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>2:17PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>Yeah, sure! We’re almost done with practice over here. How about 4:30? At that cafe with the dandelion sign, between our schools? </span>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Aliens&lt;3 </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>2:18PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>yeah I know it, See you there </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tooru let out a long sigh and dropped his phone slowly from his face, staring at the space in front of him without really seeing anything. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iwa-chan sat down next to him and patted his shoulder consolingly, “it’s a date then? Don’t worry Shittykawa, he’ll love you!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Iwa-chan... Tobio must know about him already and for much longer! How.. how-I’m completely lost with this.” Tooru whined slightly, hunching over bodily and hiding his face in his hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry, just go and talk with him. Soulmate bonds are supposed to do the work, remember? That’s what you’re always arguing, unless you’re admitting that I’m right?” Iwa-chan teased, giving Tooru’s shoulder a squeeze.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Argh!” Tooru jolted off the bench, straightening up and sneered back, “I’m going to go get ready, I’ll see you later.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He caught Iwaizumi smiling genially back at him while he walked away with his gym bag. He scoffed and picked up his pace, having to rush a little to make it home in time to get ready before heading to the cafe. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Apparently, I’ll just recognize my soulmate when I see him. No thanks to you, Iwa-chan.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Tooru hurried home, took the quickest shower of his life, got dressed in fitted blue jeans and a graphic tee shirt, spent a gross amount of time fixing his hair to perfection, and got to the cafe on time. He felt impressed with himself for his speedy prep work and was low-key grateful that his soulmate had picked a time so close to the end of practice that he didn’t have time to dwell on the situation. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Walking into the cafe, he noted that it was one of those places where you placed your order at the counter first before sitting down. He gazed around the space, looking for a familiar face, but didn’t recognize anyone. Heaving an anxious huff, he decided to just get in line and wait.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Only a few moments of waiting and critiquing the coffee menu later, he felt a soft tap on his shoulder, accompanied by a polite, “Oikawa-san?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tooru turned around curiously, and his face fell slack in a momentary stupor. He gazed at Mr. Refreshing, Karasuno’s vice captain and number two. The pretty setter was looking politely back at him with a beautiful smile on his face and no visible hesitancy. He wore tight white jeans and a loosely hanging charcoal grey v-neck tee shirt. The shirt hung slightly off kilter on his shoulders very distractingly, drawing Tooru’s eyes to the peek of bare skin as he took everything in. He realized in that moment that he’d only met the setter twice before. The first time he didn’t even notice him at all, since he was so focused on Tobio-chan. However, he vaguely remembered a pissed off looking silver haired teammate. The second time was distinctly more memorable, with the bright smiles, the little beckoning waves, and the passing secrets amongst teammates like a coy conspirator.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mr. Refreshing..” Tooru breathed out, shaking himself from his trance. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“..Mr. Refreshing?” The other repeated softly and blinked at him in surprise of the nickname then laughed, “Hah! Really?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tooru nodded slowly, trying to come up with what to say, “yeah, uh..”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What can I get ya?” A loud voice suddenly spoke up behind him. He startled and looked around at the perky barista. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A caramel macchiato please,” he turned back to Mr. Refreshing and gestured openly towards the barista in question.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The other tilted his head slightly, then “Oh! Ummm I’ll have a boba chai tea latte please” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tooru paid for the drinks and headed for a free table, glancing around to make sure his soulmate was in tow. They sat down across from each other and Tooru just stared, a small unconscious smile playing on his lips. Pretty-chan looked around the cafe for a moment, then tucked some silvery hair behind his ear and folded his hands together on the table, finally looking back at Tooru.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks for the drink. I’m Sugawara Koushi.. you can call me-“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kou-chan.” Tooru said immediately, not missing a beat. His soulmate’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, then he leaned on one arm and placed his cheek in an open palm, casually gazing at Tooru. The look made him feel like his soul was being slowly reeled in as if he was caught in a net.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmmmm. If you want.” His soulmate replied, smirking back at Tooru playfully. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Wow. He’s kind of unintentionally flirtatious? Or is it intentional?! Enchanting? Like I can’t look away, or I’m trapped? Is.. is this what Tobio-chan meant?!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The barista called across the cafe that their order was ready. Kou-chan jumped up and gracefully fled the table to get the drinks without a word. Tooru watched him walk away, eyes trained on his retreating figure. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Shit. He’s really attractive too. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Tooru internally cursed himself for being so distracted by this guy, but couldn’t keep his eyes off him nevertheless as he walked back over and sat down, giving him the macchiato and sipping his own drink.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, Kou-chan, soulmates, huh?” Tooru started, casually sipping his coffee, feigning composure.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a match,” he replied, tipping his head lightly to his own exposed forearm. Tooru’s eyes followed the gesture and confirmed again that Koushi was indeed one of his soulmates. Koushi took another sip of his drink then said, “So, now you know. It’s out in the open. Any thoughts?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Honestly, I don’t know.” Tooru admitted, which he wasn't exactly sure why he did. Kou-chan felt automatically trustworthy and comforting on top of flirtatious and sly and it was disarming somehow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, that’s okay. You don’t have to know.” Koushi tilted his head slightly, appraisingly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you think?” Tooru hesitantly asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm” Kou-chan hummed in thought, smiling pleasantly in contemplation, “I think that we should get to know each other. How do you feel about the soulmate phenomenon?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tooru sucked air in through his teeth and grimaced, “Straight to the hard questions?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Koushi just gave a little one shoulder shrug, sipping his drinking nonchalantly. His casual silence made Tooru squirm like he knew he wouldn’t be able to avoid answering the question unless he left the cafe entirely. He sighed dramatically and rolled his shoulders, surrendering his hold on secrets, potentially his dignity as well. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll be plain, then. I never really thought about it much. I get a lot of attention, from everyone.. I felt like it would happen when it happened, and until then, I’d just do what I wanted. A lot of people try to match my tattoo anyway, so it’s exhausting trying to search for soulmates, or keep my tattoo to myself. I don’t bother hiding it, as I’m sure you’re aware... Also, I work off the assumption that the bond will do a lot of the work in maintaining relationships with my soulmates. However, I will say that I’m not sure I believe that anymore.. for.. reasons.” He trailed off at the end of his diatribe, unsure if he wanted to hear anything about Tobio-chan from the other. After thinking back to past moments during tournaments where he studied Kou-chan, he remembered that he’d seen him and Tobio interact closely. He couldn’t quite sort through his feelings on that yet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Koushi had nodded along politely during his speech, sipping his tea with interest lighting up his face. He swirled his cup around a few times, maybe gathering his thoughts, then said “I see. Well that makes sense, you’re very handsome and a sports idol in the prefecture.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tooru choked on his sip of coffee, not expecting his soulmate to agree and compliment him on anything he just spouted, “I’m sorry, what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm? I can see why, from your perspective, you’d talk about the phenomenon the way you do.” Kou-chan smiled softly and fiddled with the edge of his cup, “I will admit, I believe in it. I think it’s worth exploring relationships with soulmates, more so than with other people. If the universe destines us to be with someone, there must be reasonable compatibility there, at least. But I disagree with you on the bond doing all the work in a relationship. I don’t think that sort of effort is escapable.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tooru’s mouth hung open slightly as he gazed at Koushi, entranced once again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The latter looked up from his cup and gave him a quizzical expression then said, “I’ll tell you now, I want to try it out. I want to see if the universe is onto something. It-it gives me comfort, I guess. What do you want?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think... I would need to think about it.” Tooru said slowly, “maybe, if we take it slow. There’s a lot of variables for me to consider..”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mm-hm, Tobio.” Kou-chan stated, like it was pointless tip toeing around the subject.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not sure I can swallow all of this now, since Tobio-chan’s part of it.. it’s.. I don’t really want to talk about that. You know, spring tournament is soon, less than a month away. Maybe we should just keep it casual until after that?” Tooru leaned on the table, resting his head in a hand now, but more so out of exhaustion than anything else. He relaxed a bit, thinking of Kou-chan’s openness.</span>
  <em>
    <span> I don’t think I’ve ever had such a straightforward conversation about such a sensitive topic. How does he do that?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s alright. There are a lot of balls in the air right now,” Koushi grinned and stretched his arms up over his head, lacing his fingers together to get a good pull at his shoulder muscles. Tooru’s eyes tracked the movement, committing to memory his soulmate's graceful motions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, uh.. about Tobio-chan?” Tooru began, not sure where he was going or what he really wanted to know. It was all just a feeble attempt to distract himself from Koushi’s figure as he wouldn’t be caught dead ogling another in a public place.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re together.”Koushi replied, relaxing back in his seat slightly now that his stretch was done, “taking it slow though. I’m open to being with both of you, obviously.. and I want that ultimately, so you know. But I understand that poses a certain, umm, hurdle?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mountain.” Tooru corrected immediately, looking away from Koushi and around the cafe, crossing his arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mmm, yep. That’s what I thought.” Koushi responded, smiling softly at Tooru, who looked back at him in alarm at his acceptance of such a tricky situation. Koushi leaned forward on his elbows and cradled his face in both hands this time before he added, “I’m up for a challenge.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tooru nodded dazedly at Koushi’s flirtatious nature, and picked up his cup to see how much coffee he had left. People flirted with him all the time, but it was never quite as seamless as this felt. He was feeling exhausted from practice earlier too, and hoped it wasn’t showing outwardly. It was strangely comfortable sitting with Koushi like this, a clear sort of energy swirling around them like they hadn’t just met and talked about their potential futures together. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Out of his periphery, Tooru saw the other check his phone’s lock screen for the time. His soulmate jolted upright and looked back to Tooru before saying, “Ah! I didn’t realize it was this late! Sorry, I gotta go, it’s my turn to make dinner tonight.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tooru raised his eyebrows at the sudden sense of urgency Kou-chan adopted and stood up too, “It’s okay. Let’s meet again after the spring tournament. But.. Please, text me in the meantime? We won’t go easy on you though, even with my soulmates on the opposing team. Be prepared.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t hope for anything less.” Kou-chan beamed back at him before reaching out and running his hand down Tooru’s tattooed arm until he caught his hand. He gave it a soft squeeze, then let go and said, “See you at the tournament, Tooru-chan”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tooru gaped at him, but the pretty setter just turned and left at mach speed, leaving Tooru in the dust. He shook his head then left the cafe as well, heading for home and taking out his phone.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>New chat message with Iwaizumi</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Aliens&lt;3 </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>6:02PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>iwa-chan! It was mr refreshing! </span>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Iwa-chan&lt;3 </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>6:05PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>no shit, sherlock. so, how did it go?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Aliens&lt;3 </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>6:06PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>I’ll never admit this ever again, but Tobio-chan had some decent insight after all... not even 5 minutes with the guy and I was completely ensnared </span>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Iwa-chan&lt;3 </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>6:07PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>wow. never thought i’d live to see the day to hear u say that. </span>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Aliens&lt;3 </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>6:08PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>I think he’s an alien or something :O</span>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Aliens&lt;3 </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>6:08PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>anyway, it went well. He’s easy to talk to actually. We’re gonna wait until after spring tournament to talk about it some more.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Iwa-chan&lt;3 </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>6:10PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>how responsible of u </span>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Aliens&lt;3 </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>6:10PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>rude! Of course I’m responsible! I’m team captain, after all. Priorities, iwa-chan! I want to crush Ushiwaka. So I can’t let some pesky crows distract me. </span>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Iwa-chan&lt;3 </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>6:11PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>there it is. distracting, huh? </span>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Aliens&lt;3 </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>6:12PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>iwa-chan! Yes, they’re distracting alright? Mr refreshing is gorgeous and I just didn’t notice it before. And Tobio-chan is a whole mountain of distractions.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Aliens&lt;3 </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>6:12PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>distractions i want to squash*</span>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Iwa-chan&lt;3 </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>6:15PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>m hm squash. i believe u</span>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Aliens&lt;3 </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>6:16PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>obviously, iwa-chan!</span>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Iwa-chan&lt;3 </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>6:17PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>so you’re going to get back together with that cute first year again if she asks you? cuz i heard Kindaichi and Kunimi talking about it earlier.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Aliens&lt;3 </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>6:18PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>whatever. I don’t even know why she broke up with me. But I wasn’t that interested anyway. Maybe if someone else cute comes along. Watari-chan told me that ichinose-chan from his class was going to ask me out </span>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Iwa-chan&lt;3 </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>6:19PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>sure. </span>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Aliens&lt;3 </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>6:20PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>what, iwa-chan? &gt;:(</span>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Iwa-chan&lt;3 </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>6:21PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>ur obnoxious, ya trash can.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Aliens&lt;3 </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>6:22PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>WHAT?!?!?! &gt;:(((((</span>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Iwa-chan&lt;3 </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>6:23PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>nothing. i’m disgusted by ur good luck and crappy personality, Shittykawa.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Aliens&lt;3 </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>6:24PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>HUH?!? Mean! what did I do now?????</span>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Iwa-chan&lt;3 </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>6:25PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>u know exactly what ur doing. cut it out, u coward</span>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Aliens&lt;3 </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>6:26PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>yeah, fine. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span>Tooru sighed heavily and flopped onto his bed face first. He made it home pretty quickly, even though he was texting with Iwa-chan the whole walk. Groaning into his pillow, he pushed himself up and frowned at his door. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe I should go talk to Iwa-chan in person. He seems more upset than usual. This is why I don’t like soulmate stuff, people always get so sensitive about it.. I can kind of see why now, after talking to Kou-chan. That was different.</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. KT</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Tobio walked down the road towards his house with Hinata, Yamaguchi, Tsukishima, and Yachi-san all following along, chatting lightly amongst themselves. It was a nice Saturday afternoon, practice had just ended, and everyone was released to spend the rest of the day how they wanted. Tobio was surprised when Hinata asked if they could study at his house afterwards, instead of a cafe, or a library, or just stay at school, but he didn’t really mind. His mom was on a business trip, like usual, and his house was empty and quiet.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The first years needed to maintain their grades to be permitted to attend the last Tokyo training camp before the spring tournament, and they decided to spend more time studying together to make that happen. The team was thrilled when they passed the preliminary matches and were going to compete in the spring tournament. Tobio determinedly agreed with Hinata that they’d make it to nationals and be able to compete against those Tokyo powerhouse schools in a real match.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio slowed down his pace and stopped in front of his gate, glancing behind him to make sure they were still there, “We’re here.” He opened the gate to his small, modern house and led them to the front door. He unlocked the door and let everyone in, hearing their various calls of ‘pardon the intrusion’, and took off his shoes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thanks for letting us come over, Kageyama” Yamaguchi said politely, taking off his shoes as well. The others followed suit and he briefly pointed out to them where the kitchen and bathroom were just in case. He hadn’t had visitors before and wasn’t quite sure what they might be expecting. He basically lived alone since his grandfather passed away in his second year of middle school and his older sister was away at college. His mom had to take week long business trips pretty often and for as long as he could remember for her career, so he used to spend lengthy amounts of time with his grandfather. Nowadays, it seemed like she was only home for a few days a month, but Tobio decided not to track that too closely and just focus on volleyball.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Let’s study in the living room so we’ll have more space. Does anyone want a drink?” He asked quietly, even though there wasn’t anyone else in the house to disturb. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The others were looking curiously around the tidy, sparsely decorated home, but their attention snapped to him at his offer. He looked at their stunned faces and furrowed his eyebrows slightly, frowning. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What are they so surprised about? It’s just my house...</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hinata broke the silence easily, “Yeah! Thanks Kageyama! Tea?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio nodded shortly and left them, making his way to the kitchen. He was grateful that when he returned, he found them settled down in the living room around the small table by the sofa, study materials already taken out and strewn across it. He walked over and carefully placed cups of tea down amongst everything else on the table, motioning them to take one if they wanted. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thanks!” Yachi-san squeaked and took a cup. Tobio just nodded in acknowledgement.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmmm,” Hinata hummed lightly, glancing around the room, looking curious, then turned back to Tobio, “it’s really normal, huh?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hah?!” Tobio responded, looking at him incredulously, “why wouldn’t it be?!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hinata just started laughing, Yamaguchi joining him and Tsukishima smirked and answered, “probably because nobody’s been to your house before and we all assumed you kept bodies hidden in your walls or something”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“B-bodies?” Yachi-san paled, looking aghast at the suggestion.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Excuse me?! What are you talking about?!” Tobio stared at his teammates, both affronted and confused, his hands hovering in the air placatingly towards Yachi-san who was visibly trembling.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Haha! Don’t mind! It’s a joke. You know, because you’re super scary. So obviously you live in a haunted house.” Hinata grinned widely, clearly unable to control his glee at Tobio’s expense. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio closed his mouth, realizing he had been gaping at the others and their unexpected teasing and heard a ping noise from his pocket. He glowered at Hinata for a moment, then pulled out his phone to see who was messaging him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>New group chat with Sugawara and Oikawa “setter soulmates”</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Suga </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>3:55PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>so, we made it through preliminaries.. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Suga </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>3:55PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>I’m just gonna start this group text up, we’ll have to talk eventually anyway </span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Oikawa </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>3:56PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>oh, what’s this now? I’d love to have another platform to tell you both that I’ll squash you guys at spring tourney! &lt;3 </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio stared at his phone, unblinking, and gripping the device so tightly his knuckles were turning white with the force. It took him a few seconds to remember that Suga mentioned he had contacted Oikawa-san and met him briefly at a cafe to discuss the bond. Tobio cursed himself internally for thinking that the reveal itself would be enough for the time being for everyone involved, but apparently his boyfriend had other plans. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What is Suga thinking? He said we’d all meet to talk more after the tournament! Why are we texting now?!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A light tap to his shoulder brought Tobio back into the world of the living and he startled at the touch. Hinata took a quick step back from him, concern washed across his face, “hey, are you okay? We don’t really think you’re a serial killer living in a house full of bodies, ya know?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Huh?” Tobio responded impulsively, glancing around at the people in his living room but not really taking in their features. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hm, I wouldn’t discount that just yet. He could have poisoned the tea and now realized he drank from the wrong cup.” Tsukishima added blandly, surveying Tobio briefly from his seat by the table while he flipped through a textbook.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hinata shot Tsukishima a worried, angry look, “Tsukki! Are you going to be helpful or not?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yamaguchi and Yachi-san were already standing and hovering close by, concern on their faces but frozen on the spot like any small movement would trigger a landmine.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oi, your majesty, take a nice, long, deep breath.” Tsukishima suggested calmly from the floor, flipping another page. The nickname snapped Tobio out of his panicked stupor and he followed the advice.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He breathed for a minute or two in the stillness of the room, no one budging an millimeter; with the exception of Tsukishima who was still lazily searching for a specific page.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Finally, when his heart rate calmed down, he looked to the others apologetically, “Sorry. Got an unexpected text.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kageyama, what happened?” Hinata asked, touching his arm again in an obvious attempt to soothe. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio shook his head and replied grimly, “soulmate stuff. I was just really surprised.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That bad, huh? So, it’s out in the open then?” Tsukishima inquired lightly as if they were talking about the weather. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio had regained his composure and shot the blonde a dirty look for being so blasé, “Yes. But I haven’t actually talked to him myself yet since Suga told him. He just started a group chat. Last time we talked, it didn’t go so well. I wasn’t expecting anything until after the spring tournament. I was just surprised, it’s fine.” Tobio knew his clipped reassurances sounded a little thin, but once he had a chance to fully digest the idea of a group chat between his soulmates, it wasn’t a bad idea.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well,” Tsukishima said and flipped another page, “if this is your reaction to him from just a text message, it’s probably for the best you talked now rather than at the tournament. I do want to win, you know.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio crossed his arms and stared haughtily at the snarky blonde, but Yachi-san yelped anxiously, “o-oh! That’s lucky! S-sometimes I think it’s easier to talk to certain people over text messaging anyway!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He looked back to Yachi-san and relaxed slightly, considering her advice, “yeah, maybe.” He uncrossed his arms and put his hands on his hips instead, “anyway, let’s study.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The others returned to their seats and started shuffling through their work. Hinata’s gaze lingered on Tobio a little longer, a small frown forming on his face, but he sat too just a moment later. Tobio sighed and joined them, taking a sip of the lukewarm tea and looking back at his phone that he was still clutching in his hand.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Suga </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>3:57PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>haha! Don’t be so sure &lt;3</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Oikawa </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>3:58PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>confidence is just one of my many wonderful attributes, kou-chan! </span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Suga </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>3:59PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>wow! Yeah, I can practically feel it radiating out of my phone! Hold on, need sunglasses, gonna go blind </span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Oikawa </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>4:00PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>ouch! Coming from you, that’s rich. ;)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Oikawa </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>4:01PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>but mean! I’m telling iwa-chan on you! </span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Suga </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>4:02PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>hmm, what’s this now? I thought you said YOU were going to squash me, Tooru-chan :)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Oikawa </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>4:03PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>WHAT?!?!? How does Tobio handle you... Tobio-chaaaaannnn!!! I need backup!</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio’s eyes were glued on his phone, witnessing this spectacle. He smiled and let out a few soft snickers into the silent room, “pfft! Haha!” </span>
  <em>
    <span>What is this?!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kageyama!” Hinata shouted suddenly, making Tobio look up at the others instantly. They were all staring at him again like he was an alien, their work forgotten.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What? If you need help on a problem, don’t ask me, ask Tsukishima.” Tobio scolded, bluntly, his face returning to the typical, blank frown. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hinata ignored him and countered, “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you laugh before.” He was staring at the grumpy setter in shock and awe. Tobio shifted his eyes around the others, their faces apparent in their agreement with Hinata. They looked like they were waiting for some sort of explanation. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What? I laugh. What are they talking about?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh.. they’re flirting.. badly,” Tobio said quietly, holding up his phone like it would answer for him, “it’s funny.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hinata just tilted his head like a curious bird and replied, “I see...” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah.. Suga’s being uh... Suga... and Oikawa said he’s going to tattle on him to Iwaizumi” Tobio relayed, the amused smile creeping back on his face and he let out another few chuckles, looking back to his phone and muttered, “poor Iwaizumi-san”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yamaguchi smiled at Tobio genially and commented, “you know, I wouldn’t have thought you’d meet your soulmates first out of all of us and already be with them. How is it? Do you like it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio looked back up and studied Yamaguchi momentarily, considering what to say. He was definitely not the person to seek relationship advice from. However, out of everyone here, he had made the most progress with soulmates so far. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Being with Suga is... easy. I like it. Oikawa-san isn’t really with us yet, but I think Suga is pushing for it now. It’s just a bit.. uh.. complicated. Haven’t you met your soulmate, Yamaguchi?” He asked the other, an unconscious smile lingering on his face while he spoke about his soulmates.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh! Uh yeah, I have. But it was after the fact when we realized it and only have spoken through text since. We’re not in that kind of relationship yet.. he’s kind of tricky?” Yamaguchi replied, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Lucky... I always thought soulmate stuff would be pretty easy, ya know? But it’s really not.” Hinata added quietly, contemplative, but then retorted brightly to Yamaguchi, “Kenma is not tricky! Just go boldly! Determination! You can do it!” Yamaguchi smiled shyly at Hinata’s encouragement and gave a little shrug.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I wish I knew mine, but I guess eventually I’ll figure it out. It sounds nice though. I was so shocked when you first told me about you and Suga-san, Kageyama-kun, but you two seem really close.” Yachi-san timidly put in, fiddling with her fingers.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio turned his attention to Yachi-san, noticing her soulmate tattoo for the first time, peeking out of the collar of her t-shirt. It looked floral maybe, or like a nature scene, from what he could see. He continued to smile lightly and said, “Maybe we are.. it’s hard to describe. Honestly, I’m probably not the best person to talk with about this.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yachi-san smiled softly and tilted her head in question, but gave a noncommittal nod anyway. Tobio noticed the others looking back at him with similar expressions, Hinata leaning forward on the small table, resting his cheeks in his hands. His smile widened even more when he caught Tobio’s eyes and he said, “it does seem nice. Especially if they make you look like that.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Excuse me?! Look like what?” Tobio said, voice rising slightly, unsure if Hinata was teasing him or not. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nothing! Nevermind!” Hinata squeaked and sat up abruptly, “anyway, what did you get for number.. umm.. five?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio just scowled at Hinata, who was clearly evading the question. He sighed and started pulling out his work, annoyed that Hinata would ask him about homework to distract him when he didn’t even have his work out yet. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Idiot. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He tossed his phone lightly onto the table and started pulling out the papers he needed, but picked it up again, its presence reminding him that he hadn’t said anything in the group chat yet. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Can I get away with not saying anything? Maybe not, I was called out. How can Oikawa talk to me so naturally even though everything’s out in the open now? Should I just let go and talk to him too? Is this him making an effort for the bond? Doesn’t he hate me?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Me </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>4:33PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>backup? Wat happened to calling Iwaizumi-san?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Suga </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>4:34PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>haha! Oh he got you there! </span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Oikawa </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>4:35PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>ugh! Whatever. More fuel for the fire in my heart to squash you guys again like the last time! Did you forget? :D</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Suga </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>4:36PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>someone as popular as you surely has a full reserve of fuel for that burning fire. Where do you keep it all? ;)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Me </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>4:37PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>we will win</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Oikawa </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>4:38PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>Kou-chan! I know you’ll carry a flame for me, won’t you? ;) and I very much doubt that, Tobio-chan. I don’t need to spy on my opponents to get the upper hand.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Suga </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>4:39PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>whoops, Tobio! Told ya :D</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Me </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>4:40PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>maybe i wasn’t looking at the team. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Suga </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>4:41PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>damn... </span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Oikawa </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>4:42PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>well. This is unexpected. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio smirked at his phone screen, feeling triumphant like he had just won some sort of texting war. Even though he only responded that way to deflect from talking about his Seijoh scouting excursion a few days ago. He really did pay close attention to Oikawa-san almost as if he had blinders for everyone else. He had ducked out of practice, and snuck onto Aoba Johsai’s campus to take a sneak peek at Oikawa-san’s team. Shockingly, he discovered that they were playing against college students. To top it off, he realized that Oikawa-san was able to blend into a completely new team with ease and draw out their abilities one hundred percent with no difficulties despite never playing with them before, he overheard. He ruminated to himself about that skill and wished he could do the same. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He’s so talented and powerful. Even if his personality drives some people away, they still look like they’re having a blast playing with him. I can’t believe he spotted me at his school! Hopefully he won’t bring it up again...I don’t want Suga to scold me again for sneaking around to do that. He didn’t seem like he was really that mad though...</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio smiled to himself, and put his phone out of sight, deciding to focus on his homework. He noticed in his periphery that Hinata was gazing at him again with a smirk resting on his contented face. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?” Tobio asked calmly, relaxed at last from all the drama stirred up by his soulmates.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nothing. So, about number five...” Hinata replied nonchalantly, the smirk lingering and he craned his body to see Tobio’s answers. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re both wrong, it’s sixty four.” Tsukishima said in a bored tone of voice, tapping his pencil to an unheard beat, headphones now resting over his ears. Tobio nearly forgot that everyone was here and working on homework together since he got so sidetracked with the group chat. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Now that I think about it, the beanpole is being really quiet today. He didn’t really say much about the soulmate subject.. that’s weird considering how he was hounding me about it before.</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0025"><h2>25. SK</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Make sure you’re vocal!” Daichi’s voice rang out while Karasuno warmed up for their final match of the day during the spring tournament. The others shouted back their assent and Suga started setting some balls to spikers for a drill. They had defeated Johzenji high and Wakutani South as well and were now preparing to face off against Seijoh. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga spotted Tobio chasing down a stray ball as it rolled over to the other court. He saw its route and knew his soulmates were about to have a run in with each other. Moving a little closer, he watched the two both reach for the ball and begin to grapple for it. They were glaring daggers at each other, neither letting go of the ball, and the air seemed to buzz with electric current. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>While pulling hard on the ball and wrenching Tobio forward, Tooru had slapped on a pretentious smile and taunted, “well, well, if it isn’t Tobio-chan who got a good lashing from me last time.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga shook his head slightly at their ridiculousness and watched as Tobio didn’t even bother trying to be friendly towards one of his soulmates, yank back hard, and growl out, “we’ve come to win this time.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I definitely put you in your place last time! I only have one guy left on my list, Ushiwaka!” Tooru proclaimed loudly, then released the ball suddenly in a showy splay of his arms, “I will make you stand aside again, Tobio!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio flew backward with the momentum and ended up doing an awkward roll to avoid landing on his head or wrists. Suga watched, gaping at his soulmates, as Tooru laughed mockingly, his arms still splayed out like a windmill and singing gleefully, “take that!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga blanched and commented lowly to Hinata, who was watching the spectacle as well, “it’s way too early to let Oikawa get to him.” Hinata looked nervous with his face tingeing green and his hand coming up to block his mouth.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, are you okay?” Suga asked, concerned.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hinata nodded meekly, “yeah, a little nervous. Is everything going to be okay with you guys? Kageyama mentioned everything was out in the open now” He gestured with his elbow towards Suga’s soulmates, who were still causing a bit of a scene.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah. Yeah, I think so. They’re just ...excited” Suga said, nervously laughing a little, “I don’t think they’ll drag the drama onto the court.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>I hope. We didn’t really talk as much in the group chat as I’d hoped. I wanted to break the ice a little so there wouldn’t be so much chaos during this match, but that doesn’t seem to have worked after all...Tobio’s flirty comment was a little surprising though, but not completely unexpected. I wonder if he meant it.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lost in his thoughts, Suga missed Hinata nodding slightly and walking away to calm down and finish warm ups. His soulmates had also moved on from their exchange, Tobio looking a little ruffled like an angry crow. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Cute.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The first set started with Oikawa’s amazing serve, but Karasuno took the point with a crazy maneuver made by Noya and Asahi. Suga watched the pair from the sidelines celebrate in shock that their play actually worked and said, exasperated, “the ones who just did that are the most surprised about it?” His other teammates around him smiled and laughed, agreeing with Suga that it was ridiculous, but happy that the game was off to a good start. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The set progressed rather quickly, Karasuno maintaining a small lead. Suga knew they would gain their momentum as long as Tobio and Hinata could score a point with their freak-quick attack. Gaining just a single point off this attack would make up for the loss it caused during their past inter-high match, and he knew it weighed on them heavily. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga saw Hinata buzzing around the court with a nervous energy, obviously anxious to hit a freak-quick. He nearly laughed out loud when he witnessed Tobio karate kick his friend in the ass during the middle of a rally to get him to focus. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh no! Maybe I’m rubbing off on him! Haha!</span>
  </em>
  <span> The kick did the job though, despite Hinata’s squawk of pain he focused and scored a point. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Before he knew it, they were at match point. Tobio’s face looked scary in contemplation where he stood waiting to serve the ball. Suga frowned and wondered what was going on in his head at the moment. Whatever it was, it didn’t affect his serve as he tossed, chased, jumped, and slammed the ball to the other side of the court as gracefully as usual. Unfortunately, Seijoh picked it up and took the point, but Karasuno was still at match point and determined to make it count. Suga continued to shout words of encouragement across the court to his team, even as the referee blew his whistle. Seijoh was swapping out a player. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>An unknown guy stepped onto the court that they’d never seen before. He looked tough like Tanaka but with wildly dyed, mohawk hair and a mean scowl. Suga heard Daichi say something about being careful that he might be an extra blocker, but Suga has a funny feeling that this guy was going to be more troublesome than that. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His feeling turned out to be right when he watched in mild horror as the Seijoh newcomer ran up to spike a ball that Tooru had obviously set for the turnip head Kindaichi-kun. The wild guy shoved Kindaichi out of the way mid-air, almost crashing into Tooru as well, and smashed the ball straight down the court towards Karasuno. His teammates were so surprised that nobody moved to even attempt to receive the ball. Luckily, as if the dust settled, the referee whistled and declared it out of bounds, giving Karasuno the point. The drama was abruptly over and they won the first set.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Lucky” Suga said quietly, mostly to himself as he stared across the net at the opposing team. He watched his Seijoh soulmate stare, aghast at his brazen teammate, clearly speechless. Suga would have thought seeing Tooru speechless was funny, but maybe not in this moment as the blanched setter looked like he was going to combust. Suga let out a sigh of relief when he saw Iwaizumi step up and scold the new guy harshly, extinguishing Tooru’s sizzling fuse to detonation. Suga couldn’t hear too well from across the court, but the corners of his mouth twitched upwards seeing Tooru fuming and trying to piggyback off of Iwaizumi’s scolding. His soulmate seemed genuinely agitated and was bouncing around Iwaizumi and the wild guy with clenched fists and a pout on his face; it reminded him of a riled up puppy. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Cute! </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s so funny?” Tobio’s voice drew Suga’s attention and he turned to look at his other soulmate. The younger setter looked pleased with the outcome of the match, his face was nearly smiling, but remained neutral. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah, I was watching Tooru a second ago. He looked so mad at that new guy like he was going to blow up. Then Iwaizumi intervened and scolded the guy and Tooru was trying so hard to jump in on it and say something too, but it just didn’t happen. It seems like the new guy only listens to Iwaizumi. Anyway, it was cute. He looked like an angry puppy.” Suga confessed his internal mirth, not worrying too much about Tobio’s potential judgements. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio tilted his head appraisingly at Oikawa, like he was trying to see what Suga had seen just a few moments ago. He watched for a second, but turned back to Suga when nothing else was really happening since Seijoh had calmed down. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Regardless of missing the scene, Tobio gave Suga a genuine smile and said, “I’m kind of sorry I missed it.” Then he smirked and let his gaze linger towards the opposite side of the net, “maybe we’ll just have to piss him off again.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tobio!” Suga said sternly but smirked too, enjoying this devilish side of his soulmate that usually just came across as scary. He backhanded Tobio in the stomach, who made a small ‘oomph’ sound, then tipped his head towards the rest of their teammates, silently suggesting they join them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The second set started and Suga noted that the new wild guy was in the starting line up. He also distinctly heard Tooru call the new guy ‘Mad-dog-chan’. </span>
  <em>
    <span>That’s weirdly fitting, Tooru...</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was fascinating to Suga, watching Tooru handle Mad-dog-chan on the court; the latter always jumping for every set and crashing into others with abandon. It was like Tooru turned into some sort of military medic, constantly checking on his battle bruised teammates and throwing apologies around to patch up their mental wounds. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He’s a bit of a loose cannon and his spikes are harsh. Hard to stop.. but we need to find a way to stop them.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Despite the new hectic Seijoh, Karasuno still kept pace with scoring points and the set progressed evenly. Mad-dog’s cut shot attacks were a new type of challenge, and Tooru was able to draw them out to one hundred percent effectiveness. Suga saw Tobio give the hand signal to the team to use a synchronized setup and try the back row attack they had been working on. Everyone sprinted to spike the ball simultaneously, and Tobio tossed it to Hinata. The small middle blocker leapt up into the air and hit the ball perfectly, but it was shut out by three opposing blockers. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Did you think now was the time to use that?” Tooru asked Tobio from across the net and gave him a dark, menacing smirk then said, “I thought so too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio didn’t respond, but his posture stiffened and he glared back at Tooru with a burning fire in his eyes. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ah.. oh boy.. calm down Tobio, don’t let Tooru get under your skin!</span>
  </em>
  <span> Suga thought fleetingly as he heard Coach call out to him and beckon him over for a chat. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Let’s change things up,” Coach Ukai told Suga, seriously, “I won’t let them run away with this. I’ll do everything that I can do first.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What did you have in mind?” Suga asked, peering at Tobio across the court, who was stealing glances at them curiously. Suga didn’t think his soulmate was doing poorly with his mentality in the least. He was holding his own against Tooru well, and not letting the other get to him with his taunting. Suga didn't think that switching setters would help that much in this instance, but would gladly play if Coach thought it was for the best. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I want to sub you in, throw them off balance. With the entrance of the irregularity known as number sixteen, the countermeasures are even more difficult. But I’m not going to let them run away with it.” Coach explained.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, but before that...” Suga replied, watching Tooru step up to serve as he talked with Coach, “we need to pick up Oikawa’s killer serve and hinder Mad-dog. I have an idea.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga frowned as he watched his soulmate toss, chase, jump, and smash the ball like a canon to their side of the court. He had gained precision throughout the game now with the seemingly upgraded serve that was so fast and hard it was basically a spike. His teammates didn’t react quickly enough and it pummeled their side of the court with a loud slap, earning Seijoh a point. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Fortunately, Tooru seemed to have less control over the upgraded serve and the next one hit the net, ricocheting off the edge and was picked up by Nishinoya. The resulting rally was short and Tanaka managed to blast it through Mad-dog’s block for a point. Tanaka smirked haughtily at Mad-dog afterwards, who glared menacingly in return. </span>
  <em>
    <span>They’re both getting really worked up.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Coach nodded at Suga and signaled the referee for the substitution. Suga walked up to court, a small smile playing on his lips, holding up the sign with an eleven on it, and he traded places with Tsukishima. He nodded encouragingly to Tsukishima and called out to his other teammates, “all right, we’re gonna catch up now!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He heard shouts of assent and made his way over to Tobio, who was looking at him curiously. He smiled at his soulmate and took a peek across the net at his other, noticing Tooru peering back at them suspiciously. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Good. I wonder if you’ll see this coming, Tooru-chan!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m going to aim my serve at Mad-dog, as many times as possible to delay his sprint for a spike. I’m thinking it’ll be just enough to push him out of the running for a solid toss,” Suga explained quickly, looking back at Tobio to make sure they were on the same page. “Then, if we get the ball back, we’ll do a double setter switch and I’ll toss to you to spike, okay? We’ll have five potential spikers, I bet it’ll throw them off balance. You don’t spike often, so I think it’ll confuse them.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio nodded along in understanding while Suga spoke and was smiling fractionally by the end, seemingly pleased with this strategy. Suga walked to the back of the court and squeezed the ball a little between his hands. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Serving right after you get subbed in really does make you nervous, but there’s only one place to aim for. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The plan went off without a hitch, Suga delaying angsty number sixteen and getting the ball back in their possession. The two setters switched positions on the court smoothly with a practiced movement and Suga set the ball to Tobio even though everyone on the team jumped for the spike. Tobio smashed it down powerfully in a straight shot, scoring the point. It was like highly organized chaos, which didn’t seem like it would make sense, and utterly confused Seijoh. Suga peeked at Tooru after the point was scored and saw his face was lit up with confused, incredulous frustration. The play had Karasuno nearly tied with Seijoh and the latter called a time out to try to disrupt the flow. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After the time out, Suga was still up to serve and he aimed again for number sixteen, hoping to delay his spiking opportunity. However, Seijoh had apparently worked out a counter plan for his strategy already and had Mad-dog move out of the way for another player to receive the serve instead. </span>
  <em>
    <span>They’re quick to adapt, as always! </span>
  </em>
  <span>Tooru immediately tossed the ball to number sixteen, since he was free to spike and they scored. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga heard the whistle blow, and looked over to see Tsukishima standing on the side of the court with his number on the sign. He jogged over to the sidelines with his other teammates, scowling slightly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Damn it, I wanted to take it to a tie.” He complained lightly, disappointed that Seijoh caught onto his strategy so quickly and found a work around. Suga sighed and looked across the court to the scoreboard before surveying his teammates on the court. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Well, at least we’re only two points behind. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seijoh reached the twenty point mark first and had control over the flow of the game. Suga realized that Tooru was using number sixteen to peak ability and sending him as many tosses as possible, which were scoring points rapidly. Coach had used up both time out calls to disrupt the flow, but it seemed like Mad-dog was warmed up now and running wild with it on the court. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was Hinata’s turn to serve and Suga heard Takeda-sensei call to the referee that they wanted to make a last minute substitution. Coach gave Yamaguchi a light shove towards the court and he switched places with Hinata. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga nudged his teammates to follow suit and they struck a pose in unison, trying to make sure Yamaguchi was feeling distracted from the pressure. Suga shouted along with his teammates, “Ready? Yamaguchi, one more! Nice serve!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The pinch server startled at the cheer, but faced the net and visibly took a deep breath maybe to calm his nerves. Suga held the goofy pose a few moments then dropped it and watched as Yamaguchi tossed the ball, jumped, and smacked it towards the other side of the net. It had no spin as it floated across, seemingly like it would just float out of bounds. But at the last moment before the line, it dropped unexpectedly in front of the shocked faces of the Seijoh players who had called ‘out!’ just a second earlier. Suga was astounded with his teammate’s jump float serve, and giddy that he finally scored a point from the maneuver. His teammates were screaming their joy and moving to tackle Yamaguchi, Suga quickly grabbing Hinata to hold him back from springing across the court as well. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yamaguchi continued to serve, scoring two more points, then the whistle blew for a time out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You made Seijoh take a time out! That’s amazing Yamaguchi!” Suga grinned at his teammate, praising him for his success. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“T-thanks!” He responded, smiling too. Hinata bounced around, squawking praises too while Suga checked in with his Seijoh soulmate. Tooru was wiping his face with a towel while Iwaizumi was saying something to him. Tooru looked back towards Karasuno and responded to Iwaizumi with a sour look on his face. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I bet you hate jump float serves, huh Tooru? Maybe we’ll catch you guys in this set! We’re nearly tied now. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yamaguchi kept up his mental steel and brought Karasuno to match point. Seijoh picked up his serve finally, and they scored, bringing the game to a deuce. Suga couldn’t believe they were so close to taking the set from Seijoh and defeating them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The last rally was unforgiving, everyone scrambling after the ball to keep it aloft, but it came down anyway. Tooru had tossed it fluidly to Iwaizumi for a back row attack and he smashed it down, scoring them the final point. Karasuno lost the set, but Suga was hopeful that their energy wasn’t lost as well and a dark mood wouldn’t affect the last set. His teammates actually seemed in good spirits, despite losing the set and it was probably because of Yamaguchi and his amazing jump float serves. Daichi walked over, sipping his water and commented nostalgically to him and Asahi that the team had come so far from their first practice match against Seijoh. Suga smiled and nodded, completely agreeing with the notion. He felt that they were holding their own against Seijoh now, and really could beat them. The teams finished their break and got in position for the final set.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The third set quickly turned into a vicious battle to take the lead in points. Suga shouted shrill encouragement from the sidelines as his teammates fought neck and neck with Seijoh. Every time Tooru was up to serve, it made his heart rate climb even faster than before; knowing the serve had to be stopped, but also excited to see it in action. It was conflicting to be determined to win for his team, but also have a pull for his soulmate to do well too. Suga decided that he would focus more on Seijoh’s other players so he wouldn’t drive himself crazy thinking about the dichotomy of his feelings. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was a challenge to try to strategize for one soulmate and against another at the same time. Plus the added layers of wanting to be closer to Tooru like he was getting to be with Tobio was tricky. Obviously his relationships with them would progress at different rates, but he had to remind himself of this fact because of the lingering feeling that pushing too hard against Tooru during this game would drive him away. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I don’t have any solid enough reason to think that us winning this game would really drive him away from the bond. But it’s kind of scary to consider that it might. Just how stubborn and malicious can Tooru be? Will he take all of it out on Tobio, or run away, or be fine? I shouldn’t be a coward about this. I’ll try to find him after this is over no matter who wins and get these answers if I can. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga snapped out of his thoughts when he saw Tsukishima and Tanaka do a sneaky position switch and completely shut out Mad-dog’s spike. The blocked Spiker looked livid like he was about to explode while Tsukishima looked deviously pleased. “Shut out! Great job, Tsukishima!” Suga shouted. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I knew it...” Ennoshita commented quietly, standing next to Suga on the sidelines, “Tanaka has been harassing number sixteen, hasn’t he?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You mean like picking a fight with the guy?” Noya asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Like in the second set, he’d aim for number sixteen and get a block out and stuff. Or when there weren't any blockers for a cross-court shot, he made the effort to nail a narrow line shot where number sixteen was.” Ennoshita answered, watching his teammates on the court.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Seriously? I didn’t notice!” Noya replied, sounding astounded.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Number sixteen is countering that and seems to be making more line shots over where Tanaka is.. I think Tsukishima also figured that out.” Ennoshita continued, seemingly convinced of his observations. Suga hummed lightly and nodded in agreement. They did seem to be winding each other up for a while now. At the same moment, Mad-dog spiked a ball and Tsukishima dodged it calling ‘out!’ nonchalantly. Karasuno took the point and finally gained a lead on Seijoh. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Looks like we pushed the right buttons for number sixteen.” Ennoshita said with a determined smile lighting up his face. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t tell me Ryuu did that on purpose?!” Noya exclaimed, looking like he was completely taken aback that his teammate would have the foresight to plan such a thing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, Ryuu may have been challenging him, but that wasn’t his goal. That’s just his nature.” Suga put his hands on his hips and smiled, gazing at his teammates across the court.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And I guess Tsukishima just utilized that characteristic,” Ennoshita added.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The match continued with Karasuno taking a small two point lead and number sixteen making more mistakes like he tripped down a hill and was tumbling out of control. Seijoh’s Coach finally made the call and subbed him out of the game. Suga was relieved that they had a small break from his harsh spikes and serves. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>However in no time at all with just a few rallies later, number sixteen was subbed back in. Suga grimaced as he watched Tooru immediately call out “Mad-dog-chan!” and tossed to him regardless of Matsukawa being airborne and in perfect position for a quick. Number sixteen looked moderately surprised too, but leapt into the air and slammed the ball down earning them a point.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oikawa’s extremely sadistic...” Suga mused out loud, the grimace lingering on his face. He watched his soulmate pick up a ball and hand it to number sixteen, saying something not loud enough to hear, but Mad-dog looked coolly determined and assured. </span>
  <em>
    <span>How do you toss to him so assuredly after he crashed and burned like that? It’s amazing the level of trust you’re putting there even though it seems like he doesn’t reciprocate. Aren’t you worried about everything falling to pieces? Your trust is bold, like you.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga frowned and inquired from his nearby teammates, “if that number sixteen was part of Karasuno’s team, and I was in that situation, what would I do?” They all perked up and looked back at Suga seriously. He just continued, not really wanting an answer, “Oikawa’s truly amazing and terrifying.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ennoshita nodded a little dazedly and patted Suga on the shoulder, as if consoling him for a tough obstacle ahead. Suga sighed and gave into Ennoshita’s sympathy, putting his hands on his hips and steeling himself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga felt like the next few plays of the game went by in a blink of an eye. Daichi finally stopped Tooru’s serve, but Seijoh was at match point, and Karasuno was trailing them by one point. Suga looked around when he heard Coach call out to him, “you’re up! Knock them off balance!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga nodded briefly and held up the sign with the number eleven on it, subbing in for Tsukishima for a double setter tactic again. He shifted his eyes to Tooru’s face while he jogged over to his teammates on the court. His Seijoh soulmate looked apprehensive with a haughty frown on his face. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I can’t tell if he’s mad at Daichi stopping his serving streak, not winning the game on one of his serves alone, or me joining Tobio on the court...</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shaking his head of these distracting thoughts, Suga smiled at his teammates and gave everyone double high fives as he joined them. He approached Tobio last, giving him a double high five, which the other reciprocated with an odd almost-smirk on his face. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga leaned in and shielded their conversation with a hand to whisper, “this is the last battle. I’m aiming for Iwaizumi so we can get them off balance. If we have the chance, we’ll go for the double setter play like before, okay?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio had leaned into the whisper, bringing his face way too close to Suga’s and nodded in agreement. The hand that was up and blocking his mouth from outsiders’ clueing into their conversation stayed in the air a bit too long after his plan was said, Suga getting momentarily distracted by Tobio’s closeness and sudden urge to get closer yet. Tobio looked back at him for a second, then grabbed his hand out of the air and gave it a quick squeeze. He nodded at him again in encouragement this time and turned around to take his position on the court. Suga took a deep breath in and let it out then took up position to serve the ball. </span>
  <em>
    <span>If I miss this serve, everything is over. If we can’t survive the enemy’s attack, it’s all over as well.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He heard the whistle, shouted “here it goes!”, and smacked the ball with eerie accuracy right to Iwaizumi. The ball went exactly where Suga wanted it to go, scrambling their libero in the back row, and Iwaizumi received it, taking him out of the running for a spike. Suga was shocked in the next moment when Tooru sent the ball to Mad-dog instead of Kindaichi-kun and Hinata spotted the ploy, jumping to block. He jumped so fast and hard that he slammed his body sideways into Tobio, sending them both off kilter, but successfully blocked the ball. It sailed back towards Seijoh and was missed by their libero. </span>
  <em>
    <span>This is it! We’re surviving! The game is a deuce! </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga picked up the ball to serve and smacked it across the net up front this time, still targeting Iwaizumi with exacting accuracy. The spiker received it, and sent it to Tooru, who tossed it to number three. It bounced off Tobio and Hinata’s block, starting to fall right behind them. Suga saw it and dove, bodily, shouting “I’ll get it!” to stop it from hitting the floor. He made it in time, sending it towards Tobio to set, and commanded, “go!” </span>
  <em>
    <span>Now I won’t be able to set! But we still have four spikers running, Tobio! </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Everyone took off sprinting to get into position to spike the ball, leaping into the air simultaneously while Suga could only watch from the ground where he was glued in place after that diving receive. Tobio jumped to set and Suga was sure it was going to go to Hinata, but at the last possible second, Tobio lightly tapped the ball himself and it lobbed over the net uninhibited by anyone. Suga watched, wide eyed, as Tooru threw himself at the ball in an attempt to receive the sporadic setters dump, but he fell short, landing with a thump on the ground. He looked up at Tobio with extreme agitation on his face, his teeth gritted, then he looked away and his eyes met Suga, who was also still sprawled on the floor from his earlier receive. Suga just gaped at his soulmate from under the net, shocked from Tobio’s completely undetectable ploy. Tooru’s face melted into an unhappy pout and he got up off the floor, looking away from them. Suga could have sworn he heard a muttered “damn brats”, but it could have been something else. He sprang up off the floor, his shock wearing off and pounced on Tobio along with the rest of his teammates on the court, praising him for the sly stunt he performed. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I can’t believe he did that! Now we’re at match point!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga took a deep breath and served, again, straight to Iwaizumi up front. He received it, and was knocked off balance, unable to spike. Tooru tossed it to Mad-dog, who spiked harshly in a cut shot, but Tanaka received it and sent it up. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Let’s finish this here! </span>
  </em>
  <span>Suga thought fleetingly as he sprinted and switched positions with Tobio. Everyone started running up simultaneously in a synchronized attack and jumped. Suga had five possible spiker options, but he chose Asahi from the back row. His friend slammed the ball down, but number three managed to dig it up and it went flying sideways off the court. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga watched Tooru sprint after it, the latter looking back while he did so and pointed resolutely at Iwaizumi. He got under the ball and sent it speeding back towards the surly wing spiker. Suga gaped at his soulmate, unbelieving that he would be able to set a ball from that distance with precision. Suga winced as Tooru crashed into the ref’s table, and watched him fumble to get up then sprint back towards the court. Iwaizumi smashed the ball down and Daichi received it but it was off and falling fast to the floor. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Out of nowhere, Tanaka dove for it and managed to keep it up in the air, flying up precariously close to the edge of the court. Tanaka shouted something, but Suga was unable to distinguish what it was as everyone else was also shouting across the court in a cacophony of ‘chance ball!’ and ‘connect!’ Asahi leapt from the very back of the court and drove the ball across the net. Seijoh’s libero dug it, but it careened into the net and started plummeting to the floor. Number sixteen shot out his arm and it went up again, saved. Kindaichi smacked it over and it rebounded off of Tobio’s block, flying towards Suga’s position. He went to receive it and his hands didn’t fully make it in time, the ball smacking him right in the forehead, but it went up regardless and Tobio ran for it. He heard Hinata screaming and running towards the net and watched as Tobio got under the stray ball, twisted his body, and set it to Hinata. Hinata was airborne already, flying, and smashed the ball through the blockers’ fingertips. The ball sped towards the floor and Suga saw Tooru get in its way, like he almost knew it would appear there. But despite his soulmate miraculously being there, the ball ricocheted off his arms at an off angle since the blocker’s fingers changed it’s trajectory and flew sideways off the court. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Karasuno was in an uproar, screaming victorious battle cries at the sound of the whistle, signaling their point, their win. They defeated Seijoh. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga stood around in a small circle with the majority of his teammates celebrating, and noticed Tobio wasn’t there. He glanced around and saw the younger setter standing across the net in front of Tooru. Suga strained his ears to try to hear their exchange, but his teammates were too noisy and he missed it. He frowned to himself, but his soulmates seemed calm even though they were both glaring at each other. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Another battle begins...</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio returned shortly, all his teammates now standing in a group huddle, talking excitedly about the win. Hinata and Noya grinned at each other and jumped bodily into the group, knocking everyone over into a messy pile of tangled limbs and laughter. Suga took this opportunity to wrap his arms around Tobio, who conveniently landed partially under him in the mess. Tobio smiled at him in the midst of the confusion and hugged him back, saying in his ear over the loudness of the rest of their teammates, “let’s win more matches together.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga nodded in agreement at his soulmate and started disentangling himself from the dog pile, like everyone else was starting to do. Coach called to them that it was time to line up and thank the other team, referees and supporters in the stands.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After line up, they were dismissed for a cool down break since their matches were over for the day. Suga wandered the hall of the sports complex on his way back from the bathroom, taking his time to have a minute to himself and destress from the pressure of the match. He turned the corner and spotted Tooru standing in front of Ushijima Wakatoshi from Shiratorizawa. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Hmm that’s weird, I thought Tooru said he wanted to defeat that guy. Top of his list? I didn’t think they would be on good speaking terms..</span>
  </em>
  <span>Suga turned around to walk away, but the conversation caught his attention and he ended up glued in place, eavesdropping. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m warning you, Oikawa. Never take the wrong path again. You took the wrong path. There was a place where you could show your skills a lot more, but due to pride that doesn’t count for anything, you chose not to take it.” Ushiwaka said, sternly, staring Tooru down. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru looked like he slumped for a second, but he threw his arms up in a question, “so you’re trying to tell me that I should have gone to Shiratorizawa instead of Seijoh, right?” He put his hands on his hips and frowned at the ground, “no team is guaranteed victory.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If nothing else, I can say that my team is the strongest one here.” Ushiwaka replied.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru looked back blankly at the other’s stoic face then frowned and adopted a snide, childish lilt to his voice, “you still have an amusing amount of confidence, don’t you?” He paused for a moment and became more serious, dropping the antagonistic tone and continued, “worthless pride, huh? That’s true...listen up, Ushijima, I’ve never thought that my choice was a mistake. And my volleyball career is far from over. This pride that doesn’t count for anything.. make sure you remember it for later.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga saw a scarily determined and threatening look pass over Tooru’s face, but it was gone an instant later as the setter stated nonchalantly, “oh yeah, if you keep all of your attention on me, you’ll get stabbed from a direction you weren’t expecting.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s that supposed to mean?” Ushiwaka asked, maintaining his stoic countenance.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru looked back up at him, “my... kouhai... isn’t smart, and isn’t even close to my level yet. But now that he’s no longer alone, he’s a strong guy.” Tooru smiled deviously at Ushiwaka then started walking away saying, “a murder of crows may be able to kill even the great white eagle.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ushiwaka didn’t respond and turned away, stalking off in the other direction. Suga stared at the space they both vacated momentarily, still stuck in place by the entire exchange. He clapped his hands to his cheeks roughly, then took off down the hall towards Tooru, who was sauntering away to the exit. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tooru!” Suga called, picking up his pace to a light jog to catch up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru stopped abruptly and turned around looking like he was surprised to hear someone call out his name. Upon seeing Suga, his face did a funny flash of expressions as if he couldn’t decide what it should be displaying at the moment and was cycling through the options. It landed on a haughty grimace. Suga stopped short from his approach and winced slightly, suddenly apprehensive, raising his hands in the air placatingly, “hey.. umm.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru walked closer, putting his hands on his hips and peering down at Suga silently, like he was waiting, but not necessarily impatiently. Suga kept his expression neutral, not wanting to come across as mocking or condescending and continued, “I accidentally overheard your conversation just now. I’m sorry, it wasn’t my intention to eavesdrop. I called out to you because I wanted to make sure you were okay. Are you okay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The flash of emotions whirled across Tooru’s face again, but he dropped the haughtiness and relaxed a bit, adopting a neutral tilt of his lips, “of course.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga frowned, then mimicked Tooru and put his hands on his hips too, staring at the other, “I see.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>I believe that for exactly zero seconds Oikawa Tooru! You don’t have to give me much, but give me something to work with here...</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru stared back with that plastered on neutrality like he wasn’t going to give in and Suga sighed a small huff, taking a few steps closer. He reached out slowly with both hands and lightly grasped Tooru’s arms, giving him an appraising look with a small tilt of his head. Tooru’s mouth fell open slightly at the gesture, his face going a little blank, clearly not expecting the touch.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga smiled at him, and could almost feel Tooru’s pent up hostility spilling away like it was knocked over and emptying out. He carefully dragged his hands up and around Tooru’s arms then shoulders soothingly, ending in a hug, and whispered near his ear, “you know, you were incredible today. I am honestly shocked by you every time I see you play. How do you do that?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru flinched at the whisper, yet hesitantly brought his arms up and around Suga, pulling him in closely. He didn’t answer the question, but instead dropped his head to rest on Suga’s shoulder and Suga felt him take a few deep breaths in and out like he was calming some sort of internal chaos. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I bet that was a lot for you. Losing your chance to beat Ushiwaka. Losing your chance for more games at all since we’re third years. At least until college... Running into Ushiwaka and listening to his bullshit. And now I’m here, throwing more drama in your face.  Maybe there’s a small chance I can comfort you though, even if it’s just a little bit. You do have your soulmates, whether you realize it or not. Maybe I can help you realize it might be worth it.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m still going to do volleyball, no matter what.” Tooru said quietly, his words slightly smothered by Suga’s body. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, you will.” Suga responded immediately, like it was obvious. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He felt Tooru’s breath hitch and wondered if he was going to break down right here, in the middle of the hallway. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, trashykawa,” Iwaizumi’s voice suddenly filled the quiet, intimate atmosphere around them and Tooru lurched up to look at the intruder, his hands stabilizing himself on Suga’s shoulders. Iwaizumi continued, now that he had his friend’s attention, “the bus is ready to leave. So stop flirting and let’s go.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru paled at his friend’s jibe and opened his mouth like he was about to retort, but Suga just grinned at soulmate, leaned up and gave him a soft peck on the cheek, then said, “see you later.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga didn’t waste any time backing away smoothly, giving Iwaizumi a little farewell wave and strolling away casually to find his own team again. He didn’t bother looking back to see if they were still standing there or not. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ah. He’ll text me probably. That.. wasn’t as bad as I thought. He’s rather calm when he’s really mad. So.. all the boisterous yelling is fake, huh? You’re definitely interesting, Tooru. I do feel like I got some answers.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga found his team only a few minutes later, nearly finished with packing up their gear in the bus. Once everything was squared away, they got on and started back towards their school. Suga gave way to his thoughts before he drifted off to sleep on the quiet bus, thinking of the overheard conversation. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ushiwaka is confident and crass. We’ll have another tough one tomorrow. But we’re coming for you, Shiratorizawa.</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0026"><h2>26. OT</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Tooru woke up relatively early, glancing at his alarm clock and realizing that it was going to go off in about three minutes. He groaned to himself, rubbing his hands over his face, and disabled it. He was one of those people who naturally woke up just a few minutes before the alarm had a chance to sound and it annoyed him to no end. He grabbed his phone off the side table and opened a text message to his soulmates, before he could lose his sleepy nerve.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>New group chat with Sugawara and Kageyama “setter soulmates”</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Aliens&lt;3 </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>7:29AM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>crush ushiwaka today. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru tossed his phone back onto the side table, not bothering to wait for a reply. It was only the day after his team lost to theirs in the spring tournament; and if he hadn’t lost, it would be his team getting ready to head to the sports complex and face off against Shiratorizawa, not Karasuno. He had spent some time crying and moping by himself the previous night, but got past it a lot quicker than he would have thought. He speculated that maybe it was because his soulmates were on the opposing team, and that made him feel differently about the situation. He couldn’t quite tack down in what way, but maybe because they were subconsciously important to him and he wanted to see them succeed as well. The exact emotions were too confusing and he decided that he didn’t care to really sort through them. Ultimately, after he was done wallowing, he decided that he would go to the game today and watch their match against Shiratorizawa. He knew the game would happen late this morning, so he got ready leisurely and headed to the sports complex. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru grimaced as he found an inconspicuous seat in the stands, nearer the back so he wouldn’t be easily spotted by anyone down on the courts. He really didn’t want to be seen by either competing team. Although he got there pretty early, both teams were already on the court, going through drills to warm up. Tooru scanned Karasuno’s side, locating his soulmates and taking in their moods. Tobio was standing next to Chibi-chan, with an excited look on his face, barely containing a smile. Tooru raised his eyebrows and shook his head disbelievingly at the sight. He moved his gaze to Koushi, who was bouncing a volleyball idly on the court while he talked to Captain-chan and Goatee-chan. The silver haired setter seemed alright, but he saw how his attention kept shifting subtlety around his fellow teammates like he was keeping tabs on them. Tooru huffed and hugged his arms across his body tighter while he waited for the match to start. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He’s so observant of others, and good at handling them too. Tobio’s such a volleyball simpleton. Makes me wonder what they’re like together.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru hummed softly to himself and pulled out his phone. He had put it on silent earlier, unsure if he wanted to see any new messages, but now that he was thinking of his soulmates anyway, he may as well check.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Mr. Refreshing&lt;3 </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>8:00AM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>we will. after all, what are we if not a ravenous murder of crows?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Tobio-chan&lt;3 </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>8:05AM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>we’re going to nationals. Wat?! we’re not bird murderers?!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Mr. Refreshing&lt;3</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em> 8:06AM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>XD Tobio! That’s not what I meant, nvm</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Aliens&lt;3 </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>9:58AM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>feast away, pesky crows &lt;3</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru snickered at his phone to himself from his seat in the stands. Even though he could still taste the bitterness of defeat on his tongue, it was weirdly hard to hold on to that bitterness and savor what it tasted like. He pushed his glasses up off his face briefly and rubbed at his eyes, before returning them and peered down at the players doing drills. It was agitating not being able to fully cling onto that bitterness so he brooded, crossed his arms, and scowled grumpily, irritated at the persistent soulmate bond; clearly it was to blame for this confusion.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The match finally started and Tooru cringed, seeing Karasuno nervous and hesitant, already losing three points to Shiratorizawa.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Calm down! There’s no time to self-destruct! What the hell are you so nervous about?! The tv crews?! Quit messing around!” Koushi shouted angrily at his teammates from the sidelines and gave them all a disgruntled, disappointed glare, crossing his arms. He looked livid and scary which was so opposite to his usual appeal that it was startling and Tooru sat forward in his chair, curious of this side of Mr. Refreshing he hadn’t witnessed before. The referee gave the loud offender a warning look and he didn’t shout anything else, but what he got out seemed to do the trick and the teams’ nerves looked like they were shaken away slightly. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Well, well, looks like someone does have a temper at times. I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of that..  I wonder how long it’ll take them to realize Ushiwaka is left handed. It looks like their libero already figured it out, but can’t dig those straight shots quite yet.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The first set went pretty quickly, Tooru thought, with Karasuno losing by nearly ten points. Although, he would admit that Karasuno’s libero did manage to adjust to the left handed spikes pretty well. He also noted that Tobio was playing as level-headed and steely-calm as usual, despite his clear over-excitement earlier. Tooru was begrudgingly delighted when he saw Kou-chan was subbed in to serve, curious to see who his soulmate would target. It turned out to be Ushiwaka, and unfortunately, someone else on the team received the ball instead of the stoic number one instead, purposely. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Hmmm, they must have studied Karasuno’s players a little bit to know of Kou-chan’s ploys. I wonder if they caught our match yesterday.. it’s a shame it didn’t work, I would have liked to see what they’d do with that damn synchronized attack.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As if the crows heard his thoughts, the next set started with a synchronized attack, except with just four spikers since Koushi wasn’t on the court for a double setter, five spiker strategy. Even with four potential spikers, Shiratorizawa was taken aback by the brazen strategy they used. They stood around, stunned after Karasuno scored the point, but recovered in play quickly, blocking out a sharp broad-quick attack by Chibi-chan. Tooru smiled at his soulmates haughtily and folded his arms across his body again, relaxing into his seat. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Well that’s fun, Kou-chan, so you are teaching Tobio some sneaky habits after all. Looks like the Guess Monster is getting into it now though, watch out for him.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru perked up again halfway through the second set when Kou-chan took the court again, switching with Glasses-kun. He watched closely, sitting forward in his seat and finally saw it plainly, that double setter synchronized attack. Koushi set the ball flawlessly to Tobio who smashed it down ruthlessly with no blockers figuring out where to go to stop it. Tooru laughed out loud at Shiratorizawa’s blatant confusion and felt a small kernel of pride in the back of his mind for his trickster soulmates. Watching them in sync like that felt strangely good, and he was positive it was just the soulmate bond whispering in his ear, but he didn’t really mind in that moment for once. His eyes caught Kou-chan running his hand lightly across Tobio’s lower back and said something to him discreetly before he walked away to serve again. </span>
  <em>
    <span>They’re pretty close it seems, even in public. I wonder how long that took? Kou-chan is pretty handsy and open, but Tobio is like a blank, solid wall. How did he get past that? Do I want to get past that too?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Things started getting interesting again in the end of the second set when Glasses-kun picked up the pace and connected with nearly every ball that was slammed towards Karasuno’s side. It looked like he took control with timing the blocks for his teammates and even forced Ushiwaka to spike the ball directly to libero-chan. The game was at a deuce now, and Shiratorizawa’s setter performed a setters dump to throw the crows off probably, scoring them a point. Tooru groaned and rolled his eyes, knowing what was coming. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Just a play later, as expected, Tobio returned the move with his own setter's dump scoring his own point, then glared at the opposing setter as if to say ‘how did you like that?’. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Sheesh and people say I’m childish..what a brat. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Tooru thought blandly, but smirked all the same at the look on Tobio’s face. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Karasuno took the set with an impressive and completely shut-out block of Ushiwaka’s harsh spike by Glasses-kun. Tooru lazily watched Karasuno’s teammates celebrate the tall middle blocker, who seemed unimpressed by their boisterousness and remained as cool as usual. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The third set seemed like it went by in a flash. Shiratorizawa didn’t let their loss in the second set deter them and they took the third set forcibly with Ushiwaka’s killer spikes. Tooru grumpily sat in the stands and glowered at both teams, annoyed that he wasn’t on the court and couldn’t counter Ushijima himself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru drew himself up into his chair, hugging his arms around his knees while he watched the fourth set. Karasuno was scoring evenly with Shiratorizawa, and Chibi-chan started approaching some of his blocks by sprinting into them to gain more height. It was admirable to see, but Tooru felt like the shrimp’s erratic movements across the court were sucking all his energy like it was quicksand. It was also slightly dizzying, watching that orange blur ping-ponging back and forth across the front of the net, but it was effective as he was blocking and scoring points reliably. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh. You’re here too.” A voice called out from behind him. Tooru would recognize that low tone anywhere, but he still startled. Iwa-chan hopped over the seat back casually and sat down next him then continued, “you said that you weren’t going to come because it’d piss you off, no matter who won.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru grinned and relaxed, sitting up straight and replying, “no matter which side wins, I’m gonna be able to see the other teams’ faces when they lose.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You really are a piece of crap.” Iwaizumi admonished with a frown.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t have time to sit around feeling sorry for myself.” Tooru said, frowning as well.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I see that their number ten sure is moving around a lot, like always.” Iwaizumi changed the subject easily, training his eyes back on the court below.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru matched Iwaizumi’s gaze and replied, “He’s definitely some kind of monster. However, it sure must be rough having to stick around that monster.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They watched a few more minutes of the match together, and the set was tied in another deuce. Tobio set the ball to high for Glasses-kun, which was the first mistake he’d made all day, but the tall middle blocker managed to bonk the ball underhanded over the net and scored. Tooru watched his soulmate say something to Glasses-kun, but the other just looked like he scoffed in reply and walked away to get back into position. Tobio stood there, panting, and looking exhausted. He was probably exhausted by now with all the sprinting and jumping. Tooru’s eyes caught the Guess Monster saying something to Tobio from across the net and looking gleefully smug. Tobio-chan gave him a haunted, piercing look and apparently responded, making Tendou-kun gaze back at him apprehensively. Even from the pretty sizable distance Tooru was sitting away from the court, he could tell that he would never personally want to come face to face with a look like that; it made him shiver slightly. Tooru heard Iwaizumi scoff from beside him, but his friend didn’t say anything and just continued to watch the court. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>During a brief break after the scary exchange between Tobio and Shiratorizawa’s number five, the former was sitting on a bench, obviously trying to regain some stamina and Tooru noticed Kou-chan suddenly start jumping up and down like he was doing some warm ups and smirking at Tobio. Tooru laughed out loud at the silly spectacle, wondering what encouraging jibe Koushi must have been using against Tobio. The younger setter looked determinedly peeved and was shouting something somewhat heatedly back at the other while their Coach looked on, clearly amused. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You know, I think that one will give you a run for your money,” Iwa-chan said quietly, halting Tooru’s laughter.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru glanced towards him without turning his body, giving him the side eye, “you’re just mad because he targeted you during our last match and it worked.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Iwaizumi tsk-ed and crossed his arms, glaring at the court, disgruntled. He took a minute, staring down at the players then raised his gaze back to Tooru and asked, “so, yesterday, when I found you before we got on the bus... is it working out? It looked that way.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru sucked in a quick breath and gave Iwaizumi his full attention, turning to face him, “I don’t know. I was really mad.. I had just run into Ushijima and he said some things... and apparently Koushi overheard and he literally chased me down to talk to me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru paused, wondering if he should talk about soulmate stuff with Iwaizumi, because it always seemed like the tightrope was so thin whenever it came up in conversation. Iwaizumi didn’t say anything and just waited patiently for more information, so Tooru continued, “he.. he was checking on me, to make sure I was okay. I guess I’m not used to people caring about my feelings in that way.. that sounds kind of.. well you know how it sounds. But I was still so angry. About the loss of the match, and Tobio surpassing me momentarily, and Ushijima being an asshole. It was hard to face off with Koushi in that moment too.. so I just didn’t say anything, Iwa-chan. But he still broke through my defenses, like I was a cake walk. It’s scary. I’m scared of the whole situation with them.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Iwaizumi looked at him quizzically for a moment, then said, “maybe it’s a good thing. You’re usually not so honest, you know?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Rude, Iwa-chan. I’m not a deceptive person.” Tooru responded tersely.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, you’re not. But you’re not forthcoming about real things. You either stay neutral, or put on a mask.” Iwaizumi sighed and rubbed the back of his neck like this conversation was seriously taking a toll on his mental fortitude and patience, “if you really want my opinion, I think you should try. Make an effort there and see where it could lead.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m surprised you’d say that, considering you know my relationship with Tobio-chan is basically shit.. and it doesn’t seem like you’re too fond of Koushi anyway.” Tooru replied bleakly, frowning.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Look, I’ll be straight with you, I don’t believe you hate Tobio-kun nearly as much as you think you do. Figure it out and clean up your own messes, Trashykawa.” Iwaizumi scolded, then his face softened a bit, “I don’t have a problem with Suga-kun, I just think that if you guys sort things out, it’ll be trouble for me somehow. I don’t think Tobio-kun will cause me a headache. He's a quiet guy who loves volleyball, simple. But Suga.. I can just tell that he’s even more devious than you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru grimaced and folded his arms across his chest, looking back to the players on the court. His eyes automatically found his soulmates and he studied their faces, “your hunches scare me. How frightening. Don’t say such foreboding things about my love life.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A few moments later, the set ended with a toss that was too short to fully reach by Chibi-chan. Tobio was clearly becoming more and more exhausted after playing in four full sets that included deuce games as well. Chibi-chan pulled through for them both with a miraculous swipe of his fingers in opposition to the direction his body was flying through the air; tapping the ball past the blockers and scoring the point. With that, Karasuno took the fourth set, and were now in the home stretch to potentially go to nationals, completely tied with Shiratorizawa. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru sat up straight in his seat, taking in Koushi’s body language. He had paled slightly, and was clasping his hands together tightly close to his face like he was trying to warm them up. But Tooru was more concerned with his furrowed expression as he actually looked really nervous. Suddenly, their beautiful manager walked up to him and put her hands on his like she was giving her warmth to help. Tooru raised his eyebrows at Kou-chan’s surprised expression and blush. Captain-chan and Goatee-chan loomed over them and started rough housing with him, looking like they were trying to grab his hands too. Libero-kun and Baldy-kun approached as well, looking agitated but unsure what to do. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What was that all about? Kou-chan, are you playing the field?! I thought you said you were with Tobio! Though you did say you were taking it slow..</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yep. A headache. Oh, but maybe you’ll finally see it from my perspective, Shittykawa.” Iwa-chan remarked, obviously watching Karasuno’s players as well and not missing the scene that just happened below. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru just shrugged and responded snappishly, “I’m plenty alluring myself. I don’t think I’ll have a hard time keeping Kou-chan’s attention if I wanted to.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Iwaizumi rolled his eyes and leaned forward in his seat, watching the players take position to start the final set. Tooru peered at the formation too then stated, “so that’s why he was nervous. He’s in the starting lineup for the final set.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kageyama was getting pretty exhausted. They’re probably going to let him rest and put him back in when they need him the most.” Iwaizumi replied.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s only if they can make it that far. This might be a bit much for Mr. Refreshing, don’t you think?” Tooru said back, frowning and trying to read Koushi’s mood to see if the nerves were still apparent. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Stick with it.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Despite some obvious taunting taking place across the net by Shiratorizawa’s number five, Koushi smiled and continued on with the match like it was nothing, but there was an underlying seriousness there that was peeking out. Tooru was surprised when Koushi received the ball after Shiratorizawa’s serve, being unable to set and heard him shout, “Nishinoya!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Karasuno’s team took flight, libero-kun jumping from the back of the court to the front in a setter’s form, and setting the ball while everyone else on his team sprinted forward simultaneously in a synchronized attack. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“From a libero setting to a synchronized attack with everyone other than the libero?!” Iwaizumi exclaimed incredulously. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Libero-kun sent the ball to Koushi a second later, and his soulmate smashed it down between a barely formed block. Shiratorizawa looked livid and Tooru smirked at that, but Koushi looked pleased and beamed at his teammates disarmingly, that enchanting smile on his face. Tooru moved his focus to Tobio, who was still sitting on the bench, recovering stamina. He looked like he was fuming with both agitation and admiration while he stared at Koushi on the court. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Yeah, I’m kind of with you on that one, Tobio-chan. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The next rally was extremely intense with Glasses-kun not letting a single ball escape his blocks, but the game was suddenly paused after one of Ushiwaka’s spikes tore through their outstretched hands. Karasuno was gathered around the tall middle blocker, who cradled his right hand in his left gingerly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh dear, he got injured?” Tooru commented lightly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Glasses-kun leaving this late in the game is going to hurt a lot.” Iwaizumi replied. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru hummed in agreement as they continued to watch the match. It was halfway through already, since the final set only went to fifteen points. He grimaced, watching Koushi get shut out during another libero-set synchronized attack. The strategy was a bit reckless since it left no one behind to pick up the ball if the spiker was blocked, and he could almost feel his soulmate’s frustration at being shut out. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That block was rather effective.” Tooru commented quietly, frowning down at the court.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Iwaizumi glanced at Tooru briefly then looked back at the court, “Did that just decide this match?” Tooru tilted his head slightly and remained silent, unsure of the right answer to Iwa-chan's question and kept his eyes on the court. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Almost immediately after the game started back up again, Chibi-chan used his face to receive a spike. It looked like it worked out for them ultimately but Tooru was slightly concerned about their team racking up the injuries. As if on purpose though, Chibi-chan just brushed it off and looked like he was focused on the game, running forward with everyone else for another libero-set synchronized attack. Tooru thought for sure that Libero-kun was going to toss to Koushi again, but it went to Baldy-kun, who slammed it down for a point. The strategy worked this time, baffling even the Guess Monster. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Scary.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The whistle sounded and Tobio was standing at the side of the court with the number two sign. They didn’t linger too long on the exchange when Koushi took the sign from him, but it did seem like they spoke while Koushi gripped the sign and Tobio’s hand in his own. With Tobio on the court, it looked like Chibi-chan started getting riled up again and Tooru laughed at seeing the shrimp taunt his own teammate. Tobio-chan didn’t look phased though and pointed at him with the ball in his hand, saying something, then going into the serve position. Tooru was keenly aware of his soulmate’s excited, almost there smile lurking on his face while he spun the ball in his hands and waited for the whistle to serve. Leaning forward in his seat and peering down, Tooru really analyzed Tobio’s serve after it blew. It looked very similar to his own and his form was perfect. Tobio seemed to surprise Shiratorizawa with a powerful blast of the ball to their side of the court, and again when he ran to set immediately. Chibi-chan flew through the air so close to Tobio that he thought they’d collide, but the quick was tossed and the tiny guy did a cut shot close to the net and straight down. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Well, maybe the match isn’t decided after all.. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chibi-chan continued his reckless moves, even stopping a spike from ushiwaka from right up next to the net and Karasuno brought in their annoying jump float pinch server, who scored several points; but Shiratorizawa still got to match point first. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“They’ve got Karasuno cornered,” Iwaizumi remarked, keeping his eyes on the game.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru frowned and shifted in his seat, thinking about the situation, “not to mention Glasses-kun isn’t here either. I wonder how they’re gonna survive this match point.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t you want your soulmates’ team to win?” Iwa-chan asked, suspiciously.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t know what I want.” Tooru answered simply, not taking his eyes off the game. He realized throughout the entire game that this fact was completely true. He was still annoyed at the loss from yesterday, and he was unsure of how he wanted his relationships to go too. Iwaizumi didn’t answer, but Tooru could tell from his periphery that he was being closely scrutinized by his best friend.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luckily for Tooru, his avoidance of a deep exploration of this topic was granted when Iwaizumi became entranced by yet another insane synchronized attack by Karasuno that resulted in a point gained. They survived and took the game to a deuce, for the third set today. It didn’t last long, and Shiratorizawa was at match point again because of Ushiwaka’s undeniable, killer spikes. Then Tooru spied the tall middle blocker jogging back onto the court. His hand looked bandaged and taped up, maybe usable. The blonde looked determined, and it looked like their coach had him prep to return to the game immediately. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe they really will win. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio performed a sporadic setter’s dump next, accompanied with a nasty look that could kill aimed at the Guess Monster. Tooru wondered idly if the sneaky number five had partially read Tobio’s move, to deserve such a look. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Tobio-chan, you really need to work on those expressions of yours. You’re going to make someone have a heart attack during a match...</span>
  </em>
  <span> while Tooru was slightly lost in his thoughts about Tobio’s limited and vague displays of emotion, Glasses-kun was finally switching with the unknown number eight, and taking his spot on the court. The next play began and Glasses-kun instantly hindered Ushiwaka’s spike, and the ball went flying to his teammates.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Iwaizumi looked surprised and said, “They managed to stop it again.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What happened to Glasses-kun? At the first practice match, I thought he was just a tall guy that was slightly intelligent.” Tooru commented casually, leaning back in his seat with his hands nestled in his jacket pockets. Iwa-chan just grunted lowly in response, too tied up in the game to really provide a theory for the middle blocker’s apparent character growth. Tooru watched as said middle blocker sprinted for a broad attack as a decoy and Tobio set the ball to Baldy-kun, who scored. Karasuno was at match point and Tooru heard the referee’s whistle.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I guess it’s no surprise that Shiratorizawa took a time-out.” Tooru said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Karasuno really is versatile. I’ve never seen Glasses-kun do a slide hit... even if he was just a decoy.” Iwa-chan remarked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We can’t easily abandon a near perfect time difference attack, and Shiratorizawa’s not going to change their style of strengthening individual strengths. That’s why we’re called powerhouse schools now. But Karasuno probably doesn’t have a style that they need to protect. So they don’t hesitate to try new things. They even gave up that miracle-like quick immediately and made it new. The old and dependable Shiratorizawa and the new and reckless Karasuno... either one of them winning is going to piss me off, so they should both lose.” Tooru said seriously, breaking down some of his thoughts to his friend, and becoming waspish toward the end of his rant.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You really are a crappy guy.” Iwa-chan deadpanned.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Could you stop calling me a ‘crappy guy?!’” Tooru protested.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Pick between that or a ‘shitty guy’” Iwa-chan replied, simply. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well then I guess I choose ‘crappy’!” Tooru said hastily, without forethought. Iwa-chan just smirked and put his attention back on the game, then Tooru followed his lead, begrudgingly. He almost didn’t want to witness the end of the match and thought about leaving now. He got distracted though, watching Tobio serve again. He was starting to feel entranced by it, watching his former kouhai leap into the air with such a familiar form to smash the ball down forcefully to the opponent’s side. It was nearly as precise as his sets, but those were basically robotic with how precise they were. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Is he a monster or a machine?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Tooru mused to himself while the play continued and Chibi-chan’s spike was shut out.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Karasuno’s number ten is being a lot quieter than usual.” Iwa-chan observed aloud.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He’s thinking.” Tooru said, then paused and felt Iwaizumi look at him in mild surprise, but he continued, “he just got shut down on a deuce in the final set, and since he can’t waste time being sad, he’s thinking about the next step. How disgusting.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Iwaizumi gave him a dubious look, but Tooru just smirked and watched the court, not caring if his friend thought he was being an asshole. Tooru was at his limits for mental fortitude at this point, watching this rollercoaster of a match, and he just wanted it to end so his curiosity could be satisfied and he could go home. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That was it, Tooru witnessed an incredible, flawlessly coordinated synchronized strategy with the most unbelievable back attack hit by Chibi-chan scoring the winning point. If Tooru was being honest, it gave him goosebumps that a play like that could decimate Shiratorizawa so entirely. The arena went wild, loud cheering and shouts of ‘seriously?!’ echoing around chaotically. Tooru scanned the players faces then crossed his arms and frowned, nearly pouting, and complained, “damn it, why doesn’t that bastard Ushiwaka look more upset?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Iwaizumi didn’t answer right away, but mimicked Tooru’s posture, still watching the players line up, shake hands, then move to exit the court. He kept his gaze on the retreating Karasuno members and said quietly, “Kageyama does good work.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Did you notice it too, Iwa-chan? Apparently when Glasses-kun came back, he gave them some kind of directions about blocking. Like closing in on Ushiwaka’s straight. That’s why after the serve, Tobio suddenly switched places with Chibi-chan who was in the path of the cross, because Nishinoya-kun wasn’t there.” Tooru relayed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And then he returned the ball at the last moment. Your disciple’s not bad.” Iwa-chan said, grinning.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He’s not my disciple!” Tooru argued, then said, “and on top of everything, he was able to accommodate the shrimp who came here to do something different. It’s painfully obvious.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well.. all of their good work only happened because of the blocks by Glasses-kun.” Iwaizumi placated lightly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But I guess the shrimp is a spiker you end up wanting to toss to. No wonder he’s got Tobio wrapped around his little finger.” Tooru said, smirking and standing up to leave. He started herding Iwaizumi along with his hands while saying, “come on, let’s go home. I’d rather die than see the awards ceremony.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You really are a crappy guy.” Iwa-chan retorted, but allowed himself to be ushered along anyway, “jealous of the shrimp, are we?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course not, Iwa-chan! You don’t have to be an enigmatic spiker to get Tobio’s attention or affections.. probably.” Tooru commented nonchalantly as they walked out of the gym towards the exit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mmhmm, let me know how that works out for you, idiot.” Iwa-chan replied shortly, now obviously agitated at his friend's blasé attitude towards his soulmate. Tooru didn’t care though, as he knew he’d figure out what he wanted eventually. Now that the tournaments were over, he had time to think on it anyway, since all he needed to mind now was his schoolwork and college entrance exams. He pulled out his phone to check for any messages and send a brief one himself.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Aliens&lt;3 </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>1:02PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>good job today</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <span>He put his phone away, knowing that his soulmates would be way too busy to check their messages for several hours, if not the rest of the day. But despite all his frustratingly mixed feelings about everything that happened the past two days and with his soulmates, maybe he was ready to start sorting it all out. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe I should consult with Glasses-kun about breaking through walls.</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0027"><h2>27. KT</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Tobio sat comfortably in his living room on the floor in front of the small table with his homework and textbooks piled up in front of him. He leaned back on his hands and peered at Hinata and Tsukishima who were sitting on the other side of the table, looming over a page of Hinata’s work. Tobio wasn’t quite sure how the pair of them ended up at his house to study on a Friday night after practice like this; but he decided to not worry about it anymore. Hinata had texted him frantically earlier, asking him if he could stay the night because of some sort of family thing. Tobio agreed easily, not really minding and even going as far as to think that company would be nice. Besides, if they wanted to be there, fine, and maybe they were considered his friends now. Everyone on the team had naturally become a little closer after beating Shiratorizawa and taking another step towards competing at nationals. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Only a week until the youth training camp. I wonder what that’ll be like. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He thought to himself fleetingly as he ignored his homework for a little longer.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He secretly watched his teammates across the table. They were huddled up and leaning over Hinata’s paper, Tsukishima using one arm to lean on the table and the other to point along at a math equation as he explained how it worked. Hinata was frowning in concentration and fiddling with the pencil he was cradling in both hands like he had to be touching something or moving in some way else he’d go stir crazy. Tobio smiled lightly at the strange atmosphere, but made sure to wipe it away before the others noticed. Hinata had started teasing him randomly about his smiles and Tobio hadn’t figured out why yet or what the trigger was to his obnoxious prodding. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio’s eyes drifted upwards and he found himself hanging his head back and staring at the ceiling absently, really making a good effort to procrastinate, when he heard his doorbell ring. He looked towards the door in question, then slowly stood up and glanced at the other two. It looked like they had looked up at the sound as well, but now were gazing at him curiously so he gave them a shrug. While moving to the door, he rolled his shoulders lazily, trying to release some stiffness, then opened it to see who was there. He wasn’t really expecting guests other than maybe teammates, but Yamaguchi was busy that evening and so was Yachi. Also, he could have sworn he remembered Suga saying that he had plans with the other third years tonight. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Who else would be coming over to my house? No one really visits me...I didn’t order anything online, did I?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The face that met his when he opened the door left him momentarily stunned. Oikawa-san stood there, smiling in the doorway, looking a little windswept like he had just taken a long walk, but otherwise as good-looking as ever. His soulmate waited patiently for a few moments, but when it became clear Tobio was far, far away, he spoke up, “Hey. So, are we going to stand here all night?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uhh.. come in?” Tobio quietly replied, still too shocked to comprehend what was happening. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oikawa-san strolled in, taking off his shoes, and looking around curiously. Tobio closed his mouth, which he just then realized had been hanging open a little and started off down the hall, leading his new guest to the living room.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Great king?!” Hinata said shrilly the moment they entered, and even Tsukishima looked mildly surprised for a millisecond at their appearance. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yahoo! Chibi-chan! How have you been?” Oikawa-san greeted genially, with a charming smile on his face. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“G-good!” Hinata squeaked, his eyes the size of planets, now slowly revolving between Tobio and Oikawa-san.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And you, Glasses-kun?” Oikawa-san inquired politely.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s Tsukishima.” The blonde kept his cool tone, then turned to Shrimpy and said, “Shouyou,” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hinata squeaked again in surprise and his eyes glued themselves to Tsukishima while the latter continued, “I think this is our cue that it’s time to go.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He got up and grabbed his things, which were already packed as he had finished way before the other two. Hinata scrambled up and started shoving his stuff into his bag at mach speed and within seconds, he was done. He rocketed up off the ground and started for the door, Tsukishima already heading in that direction.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“W-wait! You guys don’t really have to rush out, you know?” Tobio tried, subdued by the whole ordeal. He quickly peeked at Oikawa-san’s reaction to his retreating friends, and saw him observing with a highly amused smirk playing on his lips.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, it’s alright Bakayama! I’ll just convince Tsukki to let me crash at his place instead!” Hinata replied jovially, like it should be obvious that Tobio would want to spend time alone with Oikawa-san.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is that so?” Tsukishima responded, raising his eyebrows, but he was already one foot out the door and turned to nod briefly to Tobio before exiting completely.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once the tall blonde was clearly out of earshot, Hinata looked back at Tobio from where he was craning his neck watching Tsukishima escape, and smiled, “don’t worry about me, I’ll convince him!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good luck!” Oikawa-san called out in a lilting, singsong tone, while waving his hand dismissively.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio sighed and closed the door, taking a deep breath in and out before he had to turn around and face his soulmate. It dawned on him in that brief moment, that he really hadn’t spoken to Oikawa-san since that time they ran into each other in town. Not in person at least, and not about anything substantial anyway, like the soulmate bond. Tobio took another breath and turned to face him, taking in his appearance. Oikawa-san wore snug, fitted jeans, a loose graphic t-shirt under a very comfortable looking button up cardigan sweater. He was standing casually, semi-leaning against a wall with his arms crossed while he watched Tobio now, a patient expression resting on his amused face. Overall, Tobio was reminded that this soulmate of his was taller, haughty, handsome, and seemingly unforgiving.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Your friends are funny,” he said, breaking the silence.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh. Not.. not really?” Tobio replied and stared, like a deer in headlights, then shook his head lightly and asked, “do you want something to drink? Also, what are you doing here? How do you know where I live?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oikawa raised his eyebrows at the sudden barrage of questions, but answered anyway, “well, they have tact, at least. I would love some tea if you have it? I came here because I wanted to see you and talk. I got your address from Koushi.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh. Okay.” Tobio nodded, then tipped his head towards the kitchen and made his way there, not bothering to see if Oikawa would follow or not. He snagged his phone out of his pocket discreetly while walking.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>New chat message with Sugawara</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Me </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>6:17PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>hey. Oikawa-san just showed up at my house. Wat do i do???</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Suga </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>6:18PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>oh?? Interesting. Just talk to him, Tobio. It’s alright.. I can maybe drop by in a bit if you need backup </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He slipped the device back in his pocket as he entered the kitchen. Oikawa-san had followed him, and sat down at one of the kitchen table chairs, folding his hands on the table in front of him and looked around Tobio’s house curiously. Tobio went through the simple motions of making tea, just assuming any flavor the other might like and brewing it with adept movements. He could tell Oikawa’s eyes were tracking him the whole time, but it wouldn’t help to get flustered now, no matter how intimidating the other’s gaze could be. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What is happening?! What does he really want?! To see me and talk? About the bond? About Suga? </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s pretty quiet here,” Oikawa-san noted lightly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah. My sisters at college, on the other side of the country.. and my mom actually just moved to Hokkaido for work about two weeks ago. She was traveling back and forth so much for this job and was always gone anyway so it just made more sense. I didn’t want to move. So I guess I live by myself now? It’s not so bad.” Tobio answered the non-question, only realizing after the fact that he’d spilled all that private information without a second thought. He quickly looked up from pouring the hot water to Oikawa-san’s face. The latter looked moderately shocked at all the information just unloaded on him and a little bemused, like he needed a second to process. He nearly missed Oikawa-san startle faintly and glanced at his phone, then slid it away into his pocket quickly. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Shit. I need backup. I wonder if Suga can come over faster..</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I see..” he finally said, tilting his head quizzically at Tobio as if working out a solution to a puzzle.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio just shrugged and gently handed Oikawa-san the finished cup of tea. His soulmate took it and smiled gratefully, taking a small sip and warming his hands around the outside. Tobio peered at him carefully, his face remaining impassive, and he sipped some tea too. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tobio... are you afraid of me?” Oikawa-san inquired seriously, but calmly like he was being very careful with his tone. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The question and measured tone made Tobio cringe and he tried not to show it outwardly but had no idea if he was successful or not. He steeled himself for a beat then answered, “no.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Then.. what is it? Can you help me out here? I’ve been thinking back on our recent conversations.. and it’s left me wondering..” Oikawa-san stopped there, and just waited, a calm yet puzzled expression painted across his face. It was the most unassuming look Tobio had ever seen on the other, and it did do a little bit towards calming down his nerves at this whole situation. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh.. don’t you hate me?” Tobio asked, impassive, but eyes widening a bit. He tried with all his effort to stay calm and not screw up this conversation. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck. Perfect, yeah, ask him that?! What. Am. I. Thinking?! He’s going to leave.. we’ll never get past this.. this barrier.. and Suga will be so disappointed that it won’t work out. I’ll be disappointed. I do want to work this out, I just don’t know how! </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oikawa-san narrowed his eyes at him, a frown crossing his face now and Tobio suddenly felt like he was under a microscope, being thoroughly analyzed. He stiffened instantly, shoulders raising slightly, and then just as suddenly as it appeared, the scrutiny vanished. Oikawa-san glanced around the room fleetingly, like he was looking for an answer and it would be written somewhere on the wall. Then he let out a barely audible sigh and adopted a neutral, less imposing expression. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, I don’t hate you. I’ve never hated you, Tobio.” Oikawa-san responded quietly after focusing back on Tobio’s face, “I think.. I’ll just be honest.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay?” Tobio replied without realizing it, then snapped his mouth shut again, now afraid of breaking whatever spell Oikawa-san was under.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The latter just nodded vaguely and continued, “I was jealous. Annoyed. Envious? Anyway.. we both love volleyball. We have that in common, and you have so much raw, unfiltered, genius talent to go with your drive for it and it made me feel envious. I know I’m a great player, but whatever you think it is, it’s not genius talent. It’s persistence and hard work. And I realized that you also have persistence and hard work under your belt for this, so it’s jarring.. to see how you’ve already surpassed me in many ways. It.. shakes my resolve a bit. I just know that even reaching my limits, you’ll always be better. So, for as long as we’ve known each other, I’ve held onto this.. grudge? Not even a rivalry, really, when you break it down. And then the soulmate thing popped up. I don’t know what to do with it, Tobio-chan.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio was not expecting actual honesty, not that he wouldn’t have believed whatever Oikawa-san decided to share, but actual reasons for his feelings and actions weren’t expected. He just looked at his soulmate, blankly, but felt his face and neck heating up a little. It was all unexpectedly disarming, being complimented like that by this person who he admired for so long. Oikawa-san gazed back at him, clearly done being so transparent, but Tobio couldn’t tell if he was looking for a specific response or not. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Instead, Oikawa-san tilted his head and peered curiously at Tobio’s reddened features, then said with a small genuine smile, “you know, you’re actually very cute like that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio’s mouth dropped open, gaping openly at the other, his face brightening even more and Oikawa-san started laughing, loudly at him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His soulmate calmed down again after a minute and stopped laughing, then asked, “do you hate me? I realize I’m not always the nicest person to talk to..” he trailed off, tilting his head again, looking like he was unable to wipe the smirk off his face. It looked mischievous, which shook Tobio from his stupor. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No. I-I just.. I just wanted to learn your serve.” Tobio said feebly, unable to fully explain the depth of his real emotions in this moment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That confession had Oikawa-san laughing again, the sound of it light and happy, bouncing around the quiet of his kitchen. It sounded nice, like he was actually amused and not the least bit threatening or mocking. It made Tobio smile too in some semblance of imitation maybe, or even genuine elation amplified through the soulmate bond, despite their jagged relationship. Oikawa-san rubbed his hands across his face, then caught Tobio’s face and halted, staring. The doorbell rang, making both of them jolt at the noise and disrupted the atmosphere. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio’s face fell back to neutral, spell broken, and he got up to see who was there. He opened the door and Suga stood there, smiling at him tentatively, like he was unsure what situation he was willingly walking into. Tobio smiled back graciously, feeling relieved that he finally had backup. Despite their relatively calm and collected interactions so far, Tobio was realizing that it would take a little more time to adjust to a friendly Oikawa-san, versus a hostile one. Those automatic, defensive, high walls he built around himself would take longer to deconstruct, but it did seem like Oikawa-san was planning on coming at him with dynamite. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga entered slowly and took off his shoes, then wrapped Tobio in a snug hug, caressing his back softly, soothingly, “is everything alright? Did you have a chance to talk yet?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“A bit. Umm.. it was, fine? It’s hard.” Tobio stammered out, his brain and tongue in obvious disagreement with each other. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, you’re in one piece. So that’s a plus.” Suga replied and let go of him, sliding his hands down Tobio’s arms and giving his hands a squeeze when he got to them, “so, where’s the battlefield?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kitchen.” Tobio said, then turned and lead the way. Suga followed him closely and they walked into the kitchen together. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oikawa didn’t look nearly as surprised as Tobio thought he would at the appearance of Suga, as he gazed at them casually when they appeared. He was mid sip with his tea and he lowered it slightly then smiled and said cheerfully with that lilting tone, “hello Mr. Backup-chan!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hello to you too, Mr. EmergencySituation-san” Suga replied with a little nonchalant wave and a bright smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh.” Tobio whispered in sudden realization, drawing attention from the other two who had been beaming dumbly at each other. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’ve never seen them together. If this is what it’s like, how am I going to handle them both at the same time?! I didn’t think of that..shit.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s up?” Suga asked happily, walking over to another chair at the table and sitting down next to Oikawa-san.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I just realized. I don’t know how to deal with both of you at the same time.” Tobio stated bluntly, thoughts spilling out in a tumble of unobscured words. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga laughed lightly, “we’re not that bad, Tobio..”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can honestly say Kou-chan, that you of all people shouldn’t make such bold claims.” Oikawa-san said, smirking and raising his eyebrows at the other. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio huffed, then made for the kitchen located just on the other side of the room which was divided by the countertop, “I’ll make dinner. Anything is good?” He asked, but moved around collecting ingredients regardless of their opinions. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You can cook, Tobio-chan?” Oikawa-san asked, nonplused. Tobio just hummed in assent, keeping his concentration now on the vegetables that he was already expertly chopping in quick, fine motions. Oikawa-san continued after a beat, “oh, I guess you would, since you apparently live alone. Did you know that Kou-chan?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmmm? Oh, yes. I knew.” Suga responded a little distractedly, watching Tobio move around the kitchen lightly, preparing a pan to make some stir-fry. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Really? How interesting, are you preying on our lonely soulmate’s availability, then?” Oikawa-san asked, smirking and glancing at Suga suggestively. Tobio’s hand slipped at the implication and he fumbled with the whisk and bowl he was using to make a sauce, clanking loudly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga laughed like he wasn’t phased by the suggestion and answered casually, “ah, I wouldn’t presume to make such a bold move on our ‘lonely’ soulmate. But since we are dating, I don’t see the problem here?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh dear! How opportunistic, what a sneaky strategy, Kou-chan!” Oikawa jibed playfully.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tooru-chan, it’s always more fun to take your time and enjoy the journey, building up something more layered and complex, don’t you think? The rewards are always greater with all that legitimate effort..I was under the impression you knew this already? If not, I’m convinced you’d be really, really good at it this way..” Suga responded, and Tobio glanced up at him in time to catch a wink. He dropped the bowl again, beginning to be overwhelmed by the suggestive conversation and if he was honest with himself, use of words that he just didn’t know, but he definitely caught the gist of it. The quip filled back and forth made everything more daunting. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Why are they flirting like this?! Can’t they at least be straightforward about it?!</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga was smirking now, his eyes flitting between Oikawa-san and him, and Tobio realized that he was still staring at the pair of them, with that heat creeping up his neck again; and it wasn’t from the hot pan in front of him. He hurriedly refocused on the pan he was shimmying to cook the meat and vegetables. He made quick motions to season the mix then poured the sauce over it and gave the pan a few more practiced shuffles to toss everything together evenly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kou-chan, sometimes you just have to go after the things that are dangling right in your reach and snatch them up, don’tcha think?” Oikawa-san said simply. Tobio wasn’t sure if they were still flirting or not, or what Oikawa-san was talking about at this point. It was beyond him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes. But if you already have it in your grasp, I think it’s best to treat it delicately.” Suga rested his cheeks in his hands, leaning forward towards Oikawa-san with his elbows on the table, “so, does this mean you’re interested in joining us now?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“To be determined, but most likely. Things seem easier to reach than I thought, maybe.” Oikawa-san responded lazily, looking at his nails, but he did seem subtly flustered and was trying to hide it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I see.. well, keep me updated.” Suga just flashed his dazzling smile at the other. Tobio realized they had caught his full attention again and quickly removed the stir-fry from the pan, spooning it out over neat scoops of fresh rice on three plates. He walked over to the table, bringing two plates along and set them gingerly down in front of his soulmates. He made a brief return trip to the kitchen for his own plate, some utensils, and water for everyone, then sat down across from them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, cut it out. I can’t even follow what you guys are talking about anymore.” He said sharply, then gestured at the plates, urging them to eat. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They both stared at him silently, then Suga murmured a ‘thanks for the food’ and took a bite, humming in contemplation. Oikawa-san scrutinized the perfectly arranged plate of food and took a bite as well, chewing slowly. Tobio was immediately grateful for the silence. However, soon he couldn’t decide what was worse for his nerves at the moment, his soulmates being eerily quiet now, or their confusing flirtations from before. He looked up from his plate and found them both exchanging a look, then turning to him in unison. Their weirdly synchronized motion had him on edge a bit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?” He asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This is really delicious, Tobio-chan. Thanks for dinner.” Oikawa-san said, a small, nice smile lingering on his face, “ah, just another thing to be envious of I suppose. I can’t cook to save my life.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga smiled at them both then said, “it’s really good, Tobio, thank you. You’re better at it than me, too, and I cook pretty often since my family takes turns with it throughout the week,” he gave a little shrug and kept eating, then commented under his breath to himself, “just how far does that natural physical prowess go, then?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio choked on his bite, snorting a bit of it at Suga’s barely loud enough to hear comment, knowing that he was being teased for what he had said before. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t even want to know.” Oikawa-san said blandly, taking another bite.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They finished in no time, and Tobio cleared the table for them, bringing the plates back to the kitchen and washing everything up promptly. Leaving the clean dishes on the drying rack, he walked back over to find his soulmates quietly chatting and caught the tail end of Oikawa-san’s words, “... and so domestic? Seriously?! What else has been going on to give way to this type of thing?!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga was nodding along, looking very serious in his contemplation, and then gave a small helpless lift of his shoulders in answer. Oikawa-san looked back towards the kitchen, and obviously just realized that Tobio was back with them. He said quickly, “I brought some videos.. of last year’s spring nationals.. it has some of the teams you guys will probably be facing. It’s a peace offering of sorts.. wanna watch?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?! Yeah!” Tobio exclaimed loudly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oikawa grinned and Suga had this pleased smile gracing his face, the troubled seriousness gone. Oikawa gestured around him with his arms openly, “lead the way, Tobio-chan.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmm. We can use my laptop, prop it up on the coffee table. Let me go grab it.” He stated, then took off down the hall to his room to grab the laptop. He snatched it up quickly and went back, finding the others in the living room already. He smiled at them, seeing them plopped on the floor in front of the coffee table comfortably. Suga was leaning back on his hands casually, humming a tune softly and Oikawa was twirling a disk around in his hand, waiting on the computer. They both looked around at him when he approached and he handed the laptop to Oikawa, the smile still gently lingering in the relaxed atmosphere. Oikawa just stared at his face while absently reaching out and taking the laptop from him. Tobio looked back at Oikawa curiously, wondering what was happening now with the other’s attentive gaze, and sat down next to him in front of the small table.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga cleared his throat then snickered lightly at Oikawa and said, “stop, you’ll embarrass him if he realizes. He does it pretty often, don’t worry about missing out.” Suga looked incredibly fond and mischievous at the same time.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But.. it’s so..” Oikawa started, but then stopped and looked away from Tobio, focusing on setting up the video to watch instead.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mm hmm, I know.” Suga agreed, looking delighted, “just one of those layers I mentioned before.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay. Stop. What?” Tobio’s face fell into a frown. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Am I always going to be juggling these two and never knowing what they’re talking about?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oikawa looked back at him, then said plainly, “Tobio-chan, you’re incredibly handsome when you smile like that.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hah?!” Tobio yelped and stiffened up in surprise, “excuse me?! What are you talking about?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah, there you go, Tooru. Told ya.” Suga sighed to himself, but he still looked unabashedly amused, “don’t be embarrassed, Tobio. It’s true though. I don’t think you realize you’re doing it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Damn. That’s killer... what is this untapped potential?!” Tooru exclaimed suddenly, startling Tobio. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh no, it doesn’t work like that, trust me, I’ve tried.” Suga sighed again in defeat, but still grinning.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio ran his hands through his own hair, becoming increasingly frustrated at his soulmates for their teasing. Especially since he didn’t know exactly what they meant by it. He groaned then said tersely, “someone explain to me what I’m doing wrong, now, please. I’m going to go crazy.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga’s hands shot up placatingly and he followed through on the movement by snagging Tobio’s hands in his own, then explained, “whoops! Don’t mind, really. It’s like Tooru said, you’re really attractive when you’re smiling naturally. I mean.. you’re handsome in general, but.. nevermind.. sidetracked, anyway, you know how I asked you once to try smiling at people to encourage the team during a game? Well, when you force it, it’s quite scary. But if it’s just natural, it’s very charming. But I know you’re sensitive about it, Hinata mentioned it a few times, so I didn’t want to bring it up.. or umm, ask you to try it on purpose again. Obviously it’s not something that’s a problem or anything like that. Ah.. anyway.. I think it’s really striking when you smile because you usually frown, all the time. Your natural smile is lovely, don’t think too much about it, okay?” Suga dropped his hands gently then sat down on his other side, sandwiching Tobio between him and Oikawa.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So true! I’ve never seen you smile before today, now that I’m thinking about it,” Oikawa put in, tipping his head curiously as he fiddled with the touchpad of the laptop, then he continued, “actually, it really surprised me when I first saw it right before Koushi showed up.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio furrowed his brows at his soulmates and scowled, “yeah, whatever, fine. Let’s just watch the videos.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>ugh, I’m going to kill Hinata later for his teasing! That’s what the little shit was up to?! So stupid. It’s just my face, whatever. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga beamed and leaned around Tobio slightly to look at Oikawa, who just looked back at the two of them incredulously like he was unimpressed by Tobio’s apathy towards utilizing his full range of expressions to his advantage. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine, here we go.” Oikawa pressed play and scooted right up next to him, so he could see the screen better, seemingly undisturbed by the closeness that they’d never shared before. Suga smirked and leaned heavily into Tobio like he was trying to see the screen better too. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They watched several matches just like that, huddled up and commenting occasionally on particularly good plays or clever strategies or exceptional players. After about the fourth full match, Tobio looked over and realized Suga was slumped against him completely, resting his head on his shoulder and asleep. Tobio huffed a few soft laughs, smiling down at his soulmate, and felt Oikawa’s eyes on him. He looked around at the other and brought his free arm up, using his hand to make a ‘shh’ signal against his lips, then pointed at Suga. Oikawa just stared dazedly at him and Tobio was beginning to wonder if the other was tired as well, he seemed so out of it at the moment. Tobio tipped his head curiously and whispered, “are you tired too? We can stop watching if you want.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oikawa flinched out of his daze at the low, soft, hushed tone and answered blankly, “no, I’m starting to think that it would be incredibly hard to get tired of that.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Really? I feel like I’d need to rest my eyes too after watching so many in a row like that.. maybe it’s the screen.” Tobio whispered again and brought the same free hand up, pressing the heel of his palm into one of his eyes making himself wince slightly at the strain. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oikawa just continued to stare, but a smile had crept onto his face and it looked like he was gaining back some of his usual alertness and he whispered too, “Tobio-chan.. if you’re okay with it, I think I want to try this too.” Oikawa shifted his eyes to look down at Suga briefly, then they drifted back up to Tobio’s and he continued, hushed, “would you be okay with that? Would you want that?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It didn’t take Tobio very long to understand what Oikawa was talking about, despite him not saying it directly. He recognized that his quick uptake was because the tone the other used was so far away from his normal expectations that it couldn’t be anything else. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m okay with it. I want it.” Tobio whispered back softly, his lips twitching up in the corners at the look of subtle shock and awe on Oikawa’s face. </span>
  <em>
    <span>You’re surprised? I don’t see how you could possibly be more surprised than me. Maybe things will fall into place quietly like this, then?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Great.” Oikawa whispered then he leaned in, closing the small distance between them and lightly brushed his lips against Tobio’s in a feather-light kiss. Then he leaned back again, saying very quietly, “Well.. I didn’t expect any of this, but I’m really glad.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio short-circuited, mind spinning round and round and ending up in a mental limbo, staring blindly into Oikawa’s face; which was growing more and more amused by the second. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He kissed me. He kissed me, what?!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh dear, now I’m starting to feel like a homewrecker, Tobio-chan” Oikawa whispered again, grinning broadly like he was proud of his mischief.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“H-homewrecker?” Tobio whispered back, still experiencing acute shock. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oikawa just smiled at him, bringing a hand up and reaching out slowly to brush some of Tobio’s hair off his forehead, “Mm hmm, homewrecker. But you know, now you’ll need to share.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sh-share?” Tobio whispered again, clearly on repeat mode. However, this didn’t seem to bother Oikawa in the least and he smiled even wider, like Christmas had come early.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes. Share between me and Kou-chan. Think you can do that?” Oikawa was smirking now, fully taking advantage of Tobio’s destroyed defenses that he had just blasted through, as suspected, with dynamite. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can share.” Tobio whispered back finally, after a decently long pause, then followed up, “can you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oikawa put on an obviously fake-affronted frown and whispered back heatedly, “of course I can share. I’m very adaptable.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio laughed out loud, momentarily forgetting his sleeping soulmate, but he caught himself and threw his hand up to cover his mouth to prevent anything else from escaping. Oikawa dropped his pretend front, and his lips quirked up softly at Tobio. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga shifted suddenly, still fast asleep, but it made Tobio wince as he felt his shoulder going numb from the change in pressure. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m going to go lay him down in bed, okay? He’ll get a neck cramp like this..” Tobio said, still maintaining the hushed tone. He pivoted smoothly and tucked his arm under Suga’s shoulders, then leaned over and brought his other arm under Suga’s bent knees. He then proceeded to deadlift his soulmate up off the floor in a swift motion, and headed off down the hall, whispering to Oikawa, “could you get the door?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oikawa stared at him, seemingly stunned that Tobio would just pick up his boyfriend and carry them away while they slept on, oblivious. Oikawa scurried ahead and opened the door that Tobio indicated with a nod. The latter carried Suga over to his bed and laid him down gently as possible so as not to wake him. He brushed some hair out of the way that had fallen into Suga’s closed eyes with a few soft strokes of his hand, then walked away towards the bedroom door, smiling lightly. He tipped his head a bit towards the door gesturing for Oikawa to exit, then followed him out and closed the door behind him nearly shut.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, he’s really out.” Oikawa said once they were back in the living room, and Tobio saw Oikawa check his watch for the time, “oh, it’s twelve-thirty..”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s okay, he can stay. It doesn’t bother me.” Tobio said and yawned, “practice was rough today too, he’s really going hard at those synchronized attacks. I think he said something about learning to do a jump float serve too.. I mean, with his accuracy for serves, that would be incredible, but they’re tough to figure out so quickly and we don’t have that much time before nationals.. I just hope he doesn’t stress too much about trying to learn something completely new with all the other stuff he has going on..” Tobio stopped, realizing he was rambling a little.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oikawa raised his eyebrows then replied, “you really surprised me today.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hm? How so?” Tobio responded sleepily, running a hand across his face as if Oikawa’s announcement of how late it was made his body realize how tired he felt.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Obviously, we haven’t really spent a lot of time together. It’s always been just volleyball practices, and rivalries, and matches, right? But you’re way different off the court and at home than you are on the court or competitively. It’s weird.” Oikawa stated curiously, like he was working out a difficult strategy aloud, then he quickly tacked on the end, “but not bad.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I am?” Tobio shrugged lazily and just gazed at Oikawa while he talked, taking in his handsome features now that he was calm, quiet, and monumentally less hostile than he’d ever seen. He realized he was focusing on the other’s warm, chocolate eyes and how they were so inquisitive, haughty, scrutinizing, yet still incredibly warm somehow; and inviting, smoldering like lava cake. He yawned subtly into his hand, feeling a little cloudy with his tiredness. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He is ridiculously attractive. I can’t believe we’re just sitting together, talking like this. How did that change happen so easily? How did he just make that happen?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah. You’re.. hmm” Oikawa brought his hand up to his chin like he was really trying to find the perfect word to describe what he meant and the seriousness made Tobio smile. Oikawa looked back at him and dropped his hand back down, his eyes training on Tobio’s face intently and he said, “gentle.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio raised his eyebrows at the word, never having heard it used to describe him before, and he just nodded slowly, suspiciously, not quite getting the connection.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You don’t have to agree. I’m going to ask Koushi what he thinks later anyway because I’m nearly one hundred percent positive I’m right on this one.” Oikawa proclaimed haughtily, crossing his arms.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you want to stay too?” Tobio asked, feeling like he was on his last bit of strength for the night, unable and unwilling to argue with Oikawa about his own personality, and wanting to go to bed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh! No, I have to be up early tomorrow to help my sister with Takeru, so I should probably go. Keep the videos, okay?” Oikawa said and grabbed the light book bag he had brought while getting up and heading to the door. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio followed him, and when they reached it, Oikawa spun around and studied him for a moment like he was searching for something. Tobio just tilted his head sleepily in question and gave a small smile, wondering fleetingly what the other could be looking for. Oikawa smiled back, then scooped him up smoothly into an embrace, pressing his lips to Tobio’s once again, but lingering this time just long enough for Tobio to start kissing him back, then he pulled away, “it was fun Tobio-chan, let’s do it again soon ‘kay?” He winked and waltzed out the door. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What the hell?! Suga is kind of handsy, but Oikawa is.. I don’t even know! Ambitious? Dangerous?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio shook his head and closed the door, locking it, and walked back to his room. Oikawa’s stunt was electric enough to wake him up a little, but he still got ready for bed lazily, then flopped down next to Suga who was still soundly sleeping. Smiling at his sleepy soulmate, he pulled the blanket over them both, and drifted off almost instantly.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0028"><h2>28. SK</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Suga woke up warm, comfortable, and confused. He blinked a few times into the brightness peeping through drawn curtains, wondering why his alarm clock hadn’t gone off yet. Deciding that it wasn’t worth investigating, he closed his eyes again and rolled onto his side, snuggling back into the bedding. He felt like he had woken up in a dreamy, soft cocoon that was so comfortable, but also somewhat unfamiliar. He furrowed his brows in his sleepy state, trying to mentally put effort into figuring out if his bed was always like this, or maybe his lingering dreams were lulling him into a false sense of reality. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Slowly, he started to feel his cocoon shifting ever so slightly, then a hand snaked itself up his side and around his stomach, draping itself on his body heavily. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Hmm? I don’t think that’s mine.. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Suga thought sleepily in his comforted haze. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His eyes shot open and he glanced down to the foreign limb, confirming that it was not, in fact, his. He slowly turned his head around, craning his neck slightly to see who the limb was attached to, then sighed, relieved. It was just Tobio, who was fast asleep and slowly encroaching on Suga’s space with sleep laden limbs, engulfing him. Mild panic started sneaking up on him as well, as he became more and more aware of his predicament. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Wait. Where am I?! How did I get here?! Did I fall asleep at Tobio’s house last night, then? Did I sleep in bed with Tobio?! Did I sleep with Tobio?! No.. I would remember if that happened.. what am I thinking? </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga felt a mild buzz somewhere around his knee, startling him, but he managed not to stir too much and wake his sleeping soulmate. He shifted his leg up, nudging the object in reach of his hand. Grabbing it deftly, he realized it was his phone that was in his joggers pocket the evening before and had slipped out at some point during the night. Checking backwards once more to make sure Tobio hadn’t been disturbed, he looked back at his phone and opened the new message.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>New chat message with Oikawa</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Tooruchan </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>7:23AM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>Morning sleepy-chan! How did your night go? ;) let me tell you, it was definitely a sight to see Tobio-chan pick you up and put you to bed.. does he just snack on protein powder all day?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Sugaaa </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>7:25AM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>morning! Well. I was quite surprised to wake up in this situation tbh. Actually, I’m still kinda of stuck in this situation.. he did what now?! So that’s how I got here? He does like his milk...</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Tooruchan </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>7:26AM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>WHAT?! What do you mean stuck??? Yeah, he scooped you up like it was nothing and carried you to bed, bridal, baby :D</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Sugaaa </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>7:27AM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>ohmygod he did not!!!!! You know, I don’t know why I keep getting surprised by him like this.. it’s like this ALL the time. And people say I’M a handful, yeah right. Have they met Tobio? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Tooruchan </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>7:28AM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>people say it because it’s true, of course :) but I can see what you mean about Tobio. That’s why I texted you, actually, I wanted to talk more about certain things from last night. what do you mean stuck??</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Sugaaa </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>7:30AM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>stuck. As in, apparently, he just slept with me and now has me trapped in his clutches while he’s out like a light.. Seriously.. you’ll come to find this out, but he’s pretty clingy. Not that I’m complaining.. I mean, it’s a pretty nice place to be stuck. What did you want to talk about? Wanna chat in person about it instead? Not sure how much more texting I can get away with here</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Tooruchan </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>7:31AM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>oh wow! What happened to taking it slow Kouchan?? :O how are you so sure I’ll find out about Tobio’s affectionate side??</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Sugaaa </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>7:32AM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>well. I guess sleeping me prefers to snatch what’s dangling in my reach :P Tooru, let’s be real here for a min.. there is no way you could see that smile and not be hooked. I’m pretty sure he’s leading everyone on our team around with it and he has absolutely no idea he’s doing it. Plus, you said most likely :) I can work with most likely. Like I said before, it’s up to you, but I want it and I think Tobio does too. I hope you guys had a good chance to talk last night?..So, are we going to meet later then?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Tooruchan </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>7:34AM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>alright Mr SlyFoxy-chan. We did talk. Sorted somethings out. Maybe I’ll just tell you the details later ;) So, I’ll swing by your practice sometime today</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Sugaaa </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>7:35AM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>great! Thanks for showing up at his place and bringing those videos btw. I think you scored some points with that move.. at least, you did with me &lt;3</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Tooruchan </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>7:36AM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>ensnaring</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Sugaaa </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>7:36AM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>sorry, what?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Tooruchan </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>7:37AM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>just something our mutual said about you once. I agree with him completely </span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Sugaaa </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>7:38AM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>ah.. really?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Tooruchan </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>7:39AM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>in many ways</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Sugaaa </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>7:40AM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>there he goes again with the unexpected.. and yet, he’s so.. I have a hard time finding the right word </span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Tooruchan </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>7:41AM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>gentle </span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Sugaaa </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>7:41AM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>yes, that’s exactly it</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Sugaaa </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>7:42AM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>oop, he’s waking up now, gotta go, see ya later &lt;3</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Suga quickly tossed his phone away and winced as it went right over the edge of the bed, falling off, and thumping softly on the floor. He heard Tobio mumble something incoherently, still clutching onto Suga like he was a lifeline to the realm of the living. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tobio, you awake?” Suga ventured quietly, at this point, he had to use the bathroom so escaping was urgent. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He only got more mumbled nonsense in reply, so he shimmed his way out of Tobio’s grasp and snuck away to the bathroom.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When he got back, Tobio was still curled up in bed, but had somehow managed to get completely tangled up in the sheets during Suga’s absence. Suga laughed lightly at the sight, wondering if Tobio was always so busy in his sleep. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Where does he find the energy for that? How cute! I wonder if his alarm is set? We have practice at nine...</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga shrugged and got back in bed with his soulmate, compromising with himself that it didn’t make a difference now, since he apparently slept in bed with him all night anyway. After taking a brief second to reflect on it, it was a nice feeling, and if Tobio wasn’t okay with it, he wouldn’t have gotten into the bed with him in the first place. So he laid back down next to Tobio, giving in to the temptation. The sleeping body groaned at the shifting movement and dipping bed, then reached out blindly to grab onto whatever. Suga smirked and let Tobio snag onto him again, thinking that it really did feel nice to be pulled in like this, even if his soulmate was asleep and didn’t know he was doing it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“‘Morning” Tobio grumbled, pulling Suga even closer in a sleepy embrace. Suga was surprised briefly, since he had convinced himself that Tobio was still soundly asleep.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good morning to you too” Suga replied, letting himself be enveloped, “so, we’re sleeping together now?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio stilled, and Suga almost thought he really had fallen back asleep again, but then he heard a low, “we’re dating. You said you didn’t see it as a problem.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga drew in a quick breath, surprised at being reminded of what he was saying the night before to Tooru. He didn’t think Tobio was fully following that conversation, especially since he was distracted in the kitchen and Tooru was speaking in innuendos. He let out his breath slowly and responded, “of course it’s okay, I was just surprised to wake up here is all..”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh. Sorry, you were out. I didn’t want to wake you because you seemed to need the rest.” Tobio replied with a mild drawl, still half asleep. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thanks, Tobio. I was more tired than I thought I guess. Listen, it’s nearly eight, we have practice at nine..” Suga said lightly. He didn’t really want to break this atmosphere, but they did have obligations for the day.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know, five more minutes.” Tobio huffed and Suga felt him bury his face into the back of his neck. Suga just sighed quietly to himself and accepted the affection, noting once again that Tobio was pretty clingy and not reserved with those affections like one would think. He smiled, thinking of his short conversation with Tooru and now felt less stressed about the whole soulmate situation. He wasn’t sure what his soulmates had discussed last night, but it did seem like they got to a point where they were civil with each other. He grinned then, wondering how Tooru would respond when he encountered hugs like these from Tobio. He had no doubt that Tooru was hooked now, completely serious about his texting tease, and decided to just wait for the other two to sort it out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Um.. K-Koushi...” Tobio started to say a bit hesitant, and Suga snapped his attention to his boyfriend, never before hearing his given name used by the other, so he just hummed in response to show he was listening. Tobio continued a second later, “we worked it out, last night. First.. first with the talking.. and then.. I don’t know how it changed, I didn’t do anything.. but he said he wants to try too.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>Is he a mind reader now?!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmmm? Really?” Suga grinned, elated, and shuffled around so he was facing Tobio instead of being spooned, “I was just texting with him and he didn’t mention that!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga looked into Tobio’s serene, smiling face, some remnants of sleep still ebbing away, but he looked mostly awake now. Tobio nodded slowly a few times, “he surprised me.. asked if I would be ok with it, if I wanted it. I told him I did. I-I think we’re all together now?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh? He did say he wanted to talk with me later. Now I guess I know why.” Suga continued to grin at Tobio, “I’m glad. I’m going to tease him so much later for this though. Sneaky, Tooru-chan!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio laughed quietly at Suga’s comments, apparently in agreement, then said, “please do, I don’t know how.. he kissed me too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?!” Suga hoisted himself up on an elbow, gaping at Tobio, “what a plundering thief! And he called me opportunistic?!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio just smiled at Suga, his gaze sweeping across Suga’s face, taking in his features, but he remained in his sleepy lounge, “we talked about sharing.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Apparently you did a lot of things.. I came over for backup and just fell asleep through all of it...I’m sorry, Tobio!” Suga sat up completely and frowned, feeling dismayed that he missed out on helping Tobio navigate the tricky situation. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>However, he was also a little relieved that Tobio had figured it out and didn’t seem negatively affected by any of it; including Tooru’s advances, which could have spooked him and created another problem. Suga was mildly irritated that Tooru would blast through like that when he himself was being so careful to make sure things went along at a smooth pace. The more he learned about Tobio, the more it became clear that there were other interpersonal issues floating around that stemmed from a strained home life. He didn’t want to rush things or accidentally put lofty expectations on Tobio that would create more strain and potentially deepen the issues. Especially since he was starting to get a peek at the real reasons why Tobio had such a hard time in middle school. Suga had a sneaking suspicion that was becoming more and more visible that there was a solid reason for the glaring difference in Tobio’s outward harshness, but genuine gentleness. Suga didn’t think Tobio needed to change, necessarily, only that it would be helpful in being together if he could figure out how he worked and where the dissonance came from in the first place. It was jarring when revealed, and Suga knew his other teammates had noticed it before too, like Hinata, Ennoshita, and a few others. But nobody had pieced together the ‘why’ yet, and Suga felt like he was on the precipice of figuring it all out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio gave a casual little shrug as if to say ‘don’t mind’ then drew himself up as well, stretching his body out languidly for a moment. Suga watched him, then quickly looked away, scooting to the edge of the bed to get up and get ready to leave for practice. Tobio caught his hand, stopping him from standing up. Suga turned sideways to see what was up as Tobio closed the distance between them, and kissed his cheek gently. Suga froze, uncertain if Tobio had really just done that; but his shocked, solid state didn’t last long. Tobio leaned in again, confidently, as if he was done testing the waters. He gazed at Suga with a completely new, almost sensual glint in his steely eyes, then kissed him full on the lips. Suga instantly melted into it, and reciprocated, closing his eyes and realizing that he was both overjoyed and annoyed that Tobio was a natural at so many things. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio broke the kiss, leaning his forehead against Suga’s and said, “I told him that I could share.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s... that’s good..” Suga muttered faintly, completely floored by this scenario. It wasn’t like he’d never kissed anyone before, but Tobio wasn’t pulling any punches with his stunts today and was way more seductive than Suga would have ever imagined. He just breathed for a moment in their shared space, knowing that this was dangerous territory, and being responsible meant a tactical retreat before he lost control. He moved forward, cupping Tobio’s face in his hand, and kissed him, chasing that sensation from before. But he didn’t let himself float away once he caught it and reeled himself in, pulling away and standing up, “umm.. thanks, for... sharing. We can, um, share some more later.. practice soon.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio was still grasping his hand and had easily followed him upwards to stand, he nodded and gave Suga’s hand a squeeze before letting go and saying, “okay.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His soulmate still had that new sultry look in his eyes, but he smiled quietly and left the room, probably to get ready to go to practice. As soon as he left, Suga plopped back down on the bed, hiding his face in his hands, and took a few deep breaths in and out slowly to calm down. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Wow. Okay. That’s dangerous. I wasn’t expecting that.. maybe he is? I really shouldn’t be surprised anymore.. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga rolled his shoulders then dragged his hands down his face, steeling himself to get up before Tobio came back, but his mind was still reeling from new possibilities. He sighed and fell backwards, flat on the bed with his arms splayed and closed his eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Koushi?” Tobio came back into his room a second later.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes?” Suga responded, but didn’t feel like moving and basked in the comfort of Tobio’s bed for a little while longer. He heard soft laughter and footsteps that were gradually getting closer, and peeked open an eye to find his soulmate standing at the edge of the bed offering his hand out to help him up. Suga took the hand and Tobio hoisted him up carefully, being sure not to yank too hard on his arm. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Come on, we have to go now” Tobio said quietly, “can I make you anything to eat before we leave?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga stared dazedly at him, still holding his hand and shook his head slowly, “hmm no, next time.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio raised his eyebrows at the response, a smile building on his face but he didn’t say anything else and just turned to lead them out of the house and towards practice. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A little later, practice was in full swing and Suga was panting, hunched over from the twentieth consecutive spike he hit while Noya set. They were perfecting the libero setting technique, since it was so bizarre and caught opponents off guard every time. Suga brushed his hair off his forehead and held his hand there, keeping the strands away while he took a sip of his water bottle. Daichi walked over, looking decently tired from hard, physical work as well and sat down on the bench. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You alright?” His friend asked casually.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmmm? Yes, why wouldn’t I be?” Suga replied easily, his heart rate coming down now from the rest.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You uh.. you wore that yesterday..” Daichi said, then looked pointedly at him, raising his eyebrows a bit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga laughed airily, feeling caught but not bad about it at all, “yeah. It went well last night. Big step in the right direction.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The night before, Suga had been hanging out with Daichi and Asahi when he got the emergency text from Tobio. He had apologized and left them immediately so he could go help Tobio out. Suga wasn’t sure if Tobio was actually able to have a normal conversation with their snarky soulmate, so he wanted to help out where he could. Tooru had texted and mentioned that he was going to pay Tobio a visit now that things had settled a little and he had more time to think about their bond, but Suga hadn’t realized he meant that night. He smiled, thinking of how Tobio texted him for backup and then seemed flustered when they were all together in his kitchen. Suga realized he was spacing out and glanced back at Daichi, who was looking at him with an incredulous expression like he was some sort of scoundrel.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What? Why does everyone assume I’m going to take advantage of situations like that?!” Suga protested the silent dig at his honor. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I didn’t say anything..” Daichi put his hands up in surrender, but continued, “who's everyone?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah.. Tooru teased me for taking advantage of Tobio’s situation, since he lives alone now. But seriously, I’m not some kind of deviant lecher..” Suga argued and crossed his arms, pouting. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Daichi just laughed then said, “I don’t think lecher is what he’s thinking... more like succubus.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?!” Suga sputtered at being referenced as such, now wondering why people around him might think he was so promiscuous, “do-do I come across that way, Daichi?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Daichi frowned slightly, looking worried for a millisecond, “no, not really. Sorry, I’m just teasing you! You can be pretty flirty though, but I don’t think you come across like uh.. that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga furrowed his brows and nodded slowly, only a little appeased, then Daichi said, “I just meant you kind of.. I don’t know how to put it, because we’ve been friends for so long and I’m used to it.. but this seems to happen with new people who are just getting to know you.. you’re kind of entrancing sometimes.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Excuse me? What?” Suga stared at him, holding him in place with his gaze while he saw in his periphery Noya walking up to them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Cool! Are we talking about Suga-san’s awesome superpowers?” Noya put in happily. Suga turned his gaze to the small guy and blinked at him blankly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“My what now?” He inquired sweetly, with just a hint of a warning tone laced throughout.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Noya tilted his head curiously at the question, ignoring the tone completely and answered, “yeah, you’re like.. super comforting and sweet, and then BAM! right in the gut!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Huh?” He gaped at their libero.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh! Are we teasing Koushi today? How fun! Good luck though, I hope you escape with all your limbs intact.” A lilting voice joined the fray, and Suga turned his confused face to find Tooru sauntering over to them from the gym door, clearly eavesdropping on </span>
  <span>whatever part of the conversation he had been close enough to hear. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Daichi and Noya looked at the newcomer in surprise, while Suga sighed and rubbed his temples briefly. He knew his soulmate was coming, but didn’t know when. They were already halfway to school for practice when he realized his phone was still on the floor in Tobio’s bedroom. If Tooru had texted Tobio, the latter didn’t mention it, and Suga really didn’t like not knowing what was going on. That sense of open-ended ambiguity left him feeling aimless.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey Tooru-chan,” Suga greeted, sweetly with that dangerous tone creeping in, “thanks for coming by.. I found out some interesting things this morning from our unassuming kouhai, care to </span>
  <em>
    <span>share</span>
  </em>
  <span> with me too?” Tooru halted in his tracks, looking like he just bumped into an invisible wall and he gazed back at him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“BAM! Just like that! KAPOW! Nice, Suga-san!” Noya grinned and rocked happily on his feet. Suga noticed Daichi raised his eyebrows again, looking extremely amused at this new development and Noya’s shiny two cents.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Everyone needs to share, Kou-chan. I would love to </span>
  <em>
    <span>share</span>
  </em>
  <span> with you.” Tooru grinned and put his hands on his hips haughtily, glancing around the gym for a moment. Suga assumed he was tracking down Tobio, who was blissfully unaware of the drama now brewing while he practiced serves with Hinata and Yamaguchi on the other side of the gym. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah, Tooru, I can tell you right now that I’m excellent at sharing,” Suga replied, taking a step towards him and staring him down, “You can take a turn first though, since I’m so nice.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru stared back, his expression falling into blankness like he was just smacked in the face with a stunning spell of some sort. Suga didn’t think his tone was that scary, but maybe Daichi and Noya were right and he had some secret power. He smiled to himself at the thought of something ridiculous like that being real and watched as Tooru’s face fell more, mouth gaping slightly now. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Wow, maybe I am intimidating.. haha! </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“WHOOSH BAM POW! Get him!” Noya trilled loudly, clearly enjoying himself with this situation even though he couldn’t possibly know what they were talking about, “Karasuno remains victorious!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, okay.. let’s give them some space, Noya.” Daichi was still grinning, but clued into the fact that Suga really needed to talk with Tooru alone. Suga dropped his smiling, threatening gaze from Tooru and nodded to Daichi gratefully. Daichi smirked back then put his hands on Noya’s shoulders and literally steered him away, leaving Suga and Tooru in the loose privacy of the edge of the volleyball court. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I- Uh.. So Tobio and I talked last night, well even more, after you fell asleep. I don’t know if you want a full explanation, but spending time with him like that made me realize that he really isn’t who I thought he was exactly.. and I was too busy holding onto other.. ideas about things to come to terms with it sooner. I told him I wanted to try too.” Tooru spilled, quickly, quietly, then tacked on, “I know you still want that too. So, how about it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga put his hands on his hips and tilted his head appraisingly at Tooru for a few moments, then responded, “yes.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh thank god. I thought I was legitimately in trouble for a second there, Kou-chan! You gave me a heart attack!” Tooru smirked and casually took a few steps closer. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga pouted at him obstinately and crossed his arms, “heart attack? I’m not that scary!.. I don’t think I’m scary at all..” he murmured the last part to himself. Tooru laughed, light and airy, clearly having heard his opinion. He moved even closer, bringing up his arms slowly and wrapped Suga in a casual hug like he was taking care not to startle Suga away. He let go and gave him a little space, even though it looked like he didn’t want to. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Why so shy, Tooru? Do I really intimidate you that much? </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga suddenly came to the realization that Tooru was unsure of how to approach him, and the thought made him smirk at the other. It looked like Tooru caught the expression and he smiled back uneasily, cautious. Suga tilted his head at the other in question, “so, are we going to talk about sharing again?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But before Tooru had a chance to respond, Suga ambled right up to him, slid his hands up his chest and around his neck, rose up onto his toes, and kissed him. Tooru responded smoothly by wrapping his arms around the small of Suga’s back, holding him in place and kissed back passionately, like they weren’t completely exposed in the gym with all of Karasuno’s volleyball team loitering around. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“BAM!” Noya screeched, laughing while chasing down a stray volleyball, “yeah! That’s our vice-captain for ya!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Apparently some of his teammates were still practicing a lot closer than Suga had considered. He heard a loud throat clearing noise coming from Daichi, and he broke away from Tooru, taking a few steps away and clasping his hands behind his back sheepishly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oi, maybe not here?” Tobio called out and started walking over, obviously having realized that Tooru was here and they were causing a scene. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga just shrugged his shoulders, looking away idly, feigning innocence. Tooru had a dazed expression painted across his face, but he perked up at Tobio’s voice and turned to look at him, splaying his arms wide as if Tobio would come running into them and said liltingly, “To-bi-o-cha-n! Are you lonely? Do you need some loving support from your senpai as well?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio looked affronted at the suggestion, pulling a wonderfully grumpy face. He was clearly not one for public displays like this and he halted abruptly then walked away in the opposite direction. Tooru scoffed and crossed his arms, pouting at being ignored and Suga snickered at him, hiding the majority of his laughter behind a hand. He heard Daichi stifle a laugh as well then muttered, “denied.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Pfft! Guess so!” Suga mumbled behind his hand towards Daichi. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru huffed and turned to Suga then, “well, looks like you get the whole package for yourself, Kou-chan!” Suga blanched, eyes widening, and he heard Daichi start laughing heartily at his wishy-washy despair. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Great king?!” Hinata shouted from across the gym and sprinted over excitedly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yahoo! Chibi-chan! Didja work it out last night?” Tooru replied brightly in a sing-song voice, “do I need to worry about Tobio’s sleep-over guests?” Suga raised his eyebrows at the implication and Hinata’s eyes bugged out of his head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Y-Yes! n-no! I just had to stay on this side of the mountain last night is all! Natsu got all her friends together at my place last night and I totally didn’t want to be trapped there! Can you imagine? I love her but her friends are a little wild for being so little.. it’s like being around six Natsu’s! And then they were staying all day too, nope! They all just want me to braid their hair and toss them around and watch that new magic girl anime, which actually isn’t that bad! Still, with all the other stuff, I had to get out somehow, so I was just gonna crash at Kageyama’s! But then, ya know, you showed up and I had to get Tsukki to let me stay over at his instead! That was soooo hard, you have no idea, really.. But maybe it worked out ‘cause I know she’s having another sleepover next week and Kageyama won’t even be there for me to stay anyway, so I’ll just have to convince Tsukki again.. B-besides, why do you care who sleeps over at Kageyama’s?!” Hinata relayed all in one breath, very quickly. Suga stared at him, bemused that he was still intimidated enough by Tooru to ramble like that. He glanced at Tooru and saw him mouthing ‘Natsu’ in question with a bewildered look on his face, like he didn’t expect an info dump. Suga grinned and glanced over to Tobio to see if he caught all that as well, but it looked like he was resolutely ignoring everyone’s presence and dribbling a ball by the net.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh? I care very much, as they are my soulmates.. and they’re mine.” He adopted a condescending smirk and peered at him as if he was challenging Hinata to deny him spoils of war. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oooooooh?” Hinata grinned widely, putting his hands on his hips, “how interesting! Kageyama didn’t mention that to me yet! Tsukki! Yamaguchi! Didja hear that?!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga had been momentarily affronted at being claimed so possessively, but soon forgot it with Hinata’s attitude shift. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Hmm maybe everything’s working out after all? I was a little curious if they hashed it out yet.. seems like it but I don’t want to pry..</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait, where will Tobio be next week?” Tooru asked, looking around the others curiously.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh! He’s going to the All Japan Youth Training Camp next week! I’m so jealous.” Hinata told him excitedly before anyone else could chime in. Tooru looked so surprised, his eyebrows completely disappeared into his perfect, fluffy fringe. But he didn’t remain so long, he turned on his heel and started for Tobio, who was just about to jump and hit a serve.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tobio-chan!” Tooru called, commandingly, marching straight over to him looking somewhat menacing in his tallness and domineering stature. Suga followed, starting to worry slightly at Tooru’s conviction, not sure where this was leading. He noticed that everyone in the gym was more or less paying attention to their theatrics and felt a little bad that Tooru had come into their practice like a hurricane, whirling everything around and causing chaos.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio flinched at the sudden shout of his name, probably never hearing it called out like that so loudly and with that much emotion. The ball he threw dropped, and he sidestepped smoothly. It fell sharply and missed his body by a millimeter, while he faced his caller and put his hands on his hips casually. Suga grinned at the pair as Tooru made it to Tobio and mimicked his stance; they looked very much alike in that moment, and it reminded Suga of their shared tattoos and the royalty motif with these two conceited kings. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You got invited to All Japan?” Tooru demanded to know. Suga tried to interpret his expression,  but it was morphing slightly by the second and it was hard to pin down the emotion.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes.” Tobio replied, simply, maintaining his typical grouchy neutrality.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You bested Ushiwaka there,” Tooru added, very seriously, then he continued, “that.. is hilarious.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru started laughing, light and airy and bright, filling the gym with it and Suga just watched, enchanted by him. His eyes shifted to Tobio, who looked stunned at first, but then his face split into a wide, elated smile as well while he gazed at Tooru laughing. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ugh they’re both so stunning like that.. How can anyone look away?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Suga mused to himself and took inventory of the others in the gym, realizing that they were all staring at his soulmates now too. Hinata was openly gaping at the pair, eyes wide, like he’d never seen anything like it before; and he probably hadn’t seen his best friend look like that before, since Tobio was usually so impassive unless he was yelling. Suga shook his head and huffed, glad that Tooru wasn’t angry at Tobio’s accomplishment that he was never invited to, despite his volleyball prowess and notoriety in their prefecture. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Damn Suga-san.. you’re lucky,” Noya said lowly, as he sidled up to him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmm? Yeah, it’s good Tooru didn’t get mad at that.. I kind of thought he might..” Suga responded distractedly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nah, not that. I mean, yeah, that too.” Noya said and Suga furrowed his brows and looked at Noya, confused. The libero just grinned then continued, “your soulmates are eye candy, bro. And I thought Ryuu was lucky.. I mean, he is too, but you have </span>
  <em>
    <span>two</span>
  </em>
  <span> that look like </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” And he gestured wildly at Suga’s soulmates who were still smiling contentedly at each other, even though Tooru had calmed his laughter a bit and was just chuckling mildly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga tilted his head at his goofy teammate and flashed him his own disarmingly bright smile before saying, “that is pretty good luck!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Haaaah.. you guys are basically a chaos trio..you know we’re supposed to be practicing” Daichi had wandered over as well and scolded Suga lightly. The latter gave him a simpering look as if to say ‘it is what it is’ and shrugged.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He turned his attention back to his soulmates and took a breath in and out, now speculating on how challenging it would be to corral them and walked over to them. Immediately, Tooru turned his charming face to him and exclaimed mirthfully, “Our Tobio bested Ushiwaka! Hah hah! Take that ya farm clod! Pfft haha! I warned him about pesky crows!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mm hmm.. Tooru-chan, we need to finish practice, there’s not much time until nationals and Tobio’s going to be gone for a week too.” Suga reminded him softly, running his hand up his soulmate's arm soothingly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah, yeah.. oops! Tobio-chan, show me your serve, I’ll correct your form,” Tooru grinned at Suga, then gave Tobio a flirty wink.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0029"><h2>29. KT</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tobio sat on the train on his way to Tokyo for the All Japan Youth Training camp. He squinted at the handwritten directions Takeda-sensei had given him to the camp’s location, and could already tell that he may end up lost. Pulling out his phone, he tried once more to read the name of the train line and copied it into a message.</p>
<p>
  <b> <em>New group chat with Sugawara and Oikawa “setter soulmates”</em> </b>
</p>
<p><b> <em>Me </em> </b> <b> <em>1:35PM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>I’m lost... -ukomiyo?</p>
<p><b> <em>Koushi </em> </b> <b> <em>1:36PM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>it’s utomiya line! </p>
<p><b> <em>Me </em> </b> <b> <em>1:36PM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>o yah, I see it now. Thx</p>
<p><b> <em>Tooru </em> </b> <b> <em>1:36PM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>aww baby crow flyin the nest. Play nice with the others while you’re there Tobiochan! &lt;3 &lt;3</p>
<p><b> <em>Koushi </em> </b> <b> <em>1:37PM</em> </b> <b> <em>: </em> </b>just get there in one piece......... call me if you get lost again, ok? &lt;3</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He sighed and boarded the correct train, grimacing at how much trickier it was to travel by yourself in a big city than it was with others who were better at directions. </p>
<p>After a long ride and a few bus changes, he finally made it to the training complex. Walking into the center, he ran into another player he recognized as one of the top spikers in Japan for their age group. He introduced himself quietly, while the other blandly read off his club jacket, commenting on Karasuno defeating Ushiwaka. <em> Wow, this guy’s a big deal, what other players are here?! I can’t wait to watch him spike, I wonder if I’ll get to set for him too.. </em></p>
<p>Tobio continued into the gym and immediately felt that the floors weren’t the standard wood usually used for indoor courts. He glanced around and noted that some of the other newcomers were talking about the helpful tech around the gym used to record, then instantly show movements. Tobio wanted to hear more but the coaches called for everyone to gather round for introductions. </p>
<p>They immediately started up a game afterwards, and Tobio was thrilled to get to set to Sakusa-san, who smashed the ball to the opposite court with a devastating spin. <em> Ah, that set felt great! These guys really nail it! The ball’s coming back, I can smash it probably. </em></p>
<p>He jumped and hit the ball, hard, towards the opposing court, but a small figure suddenly entered his vision and blocked it. The ball was picked up by their libero and sent back to him to set. Tobio quickly got into position and sent the ball instantly to the center for a super quick attack, but no one was in the air ready to hit it down and it fell untouched, bouncing lightly on the court a few times. Play paused and everyone turned to look at Tobio, with varied curious expressions. <em> Oh yeah, Shrimpy isn’t here to hit that right now. Of course someone wouldn’t automatically be there for that quick. Oops.. </em></p>
<p>“Well, this is the first time we’re playing together, after all..” their impromptu teams’ libero spoke up casually.</p>
<p>“Sorry, habit.” Tobio said passively, admonishing himself in his mind for going on autopilot like that with a completely new group of people. He brushed his hands off on his shirt briefly and adjusted his soulmate armband minutely, feeling conflicted with making mistakes around the caliber of players present. Glancing up and around the players again, he noticed the unknown shorty player that blocked his spike earlier squinting at him suspiciously from across the net. Sakusa-san, his team’s spiker, looked somewhat irritated for some reason too.</p>
<p>“Oho?” The opposing setter said softly. His name was Miya Atsumu, and Tobio recognized him from volleyball magazines as the top youth setter in Japan.</p>
<p>Tobio knew his toss was off since no one was already approaching to spike it like he was used to with Hinata, but he didn't really get why everyone seemed so miffed. It was just a three on three practice game after all. Shrugging it off, he got back into position and waited for the next serve from the opposing team.</p>
<p>Later on, after the practice games were over, Tobio found himself sitting down for dinner with a guy from Shinzen High who had also been invited to the All Japan Youth Training Camp. They had played lots of practice games against Shinzen High during the Tokyo training camps in recent months, so it was nice to have a somewhat familiar face around. Tobio couldn't recall his name though, and stared at him while he ate, trying his best to remember. However, in the end, he couldn’t seem to come up with it and just listened while the other guy chatted away about nationals and who qualified. <em> Broccoli number two? </em></p>
<p>“Yo,” a voice said from behind him. Tobio turned around slightly to see who called out, pausing mid-bite. It was Sakusa-san and he spoke up again once he had Tobio’s attention, “I didn’t see the video yet, but how did Shiratorizawa lose? Was Wakatoshi-kun hurt or something?” </p>
<p>Tobio thought back to his match with Shiratorizawa and tried to recall if Ushiwaka seemed off or something, then replied simply, “he looked in peak form to me.”</p>
<p>“Huh?!” Sakusa-san exclaimed, narrowing his eyes at Tobio suspiciously, “then how did he lose? What trick did you use? Or what, did someone actually stop him?”</p>
<p>“.. oh.. Well.. yeah, we did stop him.” Tobio replied. <em> Hinata didn’t really block though, it was more like a close range overhanded receive... </em></p>
<p>Sakusa-san’s eyes looked shocked and grim above his face mask, “who was it? What year is he? What’s his name? Where’d he-“</p>
<p>“Sorry! Don’t mind this guy, he’s really pessimistic! As soon as he knows someone might be a threat he has to know everything about them!” The libero guy from earlier interrupted, smiling brightly.</p>
<p>“I’m not a pessimist, I’m a realist.” Sakusa-san answered, looking tired and irritated.</p>
<p>“Sakusa-san, you haven’t gotten serious yet during this camp right?” Tobio asked, genuinely curious. Something about his outputs during their earlier practice game seemed a little tame compared to the rumors about him. </p>
<p>Sakusa-san paused and considered him for a moment then asked in response, “What makes you think that?” </p>
<p>“It’s just a feeling. I mean... compared to the image I had of you, you seem awfully normal so far.” Tobio answered honesty with a straight face. The libero guy turned his head and used his hand to stifle his laughter, while Sakusa-san glared from behind his mask at Tobio. The latter just gazed back at him impassively, wondering why he looked so peeved. <em> I mean, he could probably use at least twice as much power in his hits. I wonder what his serves look like? Maybe I’ll get to see them tomorrow. </em></p>
<p>He spaced out, thinking about what Sakusa-san’s real hits would look like and realized he missed the libero making some comments about Sakusa-san’s health and the latter excusing himself from them. The libero hastily waved goodbye and left too, looking like he was chasing after Sakusa-san, and Tobio just shrugged and went back to finishing his dinner.</p>
<p>“Yeeeeeeesh you scared me!” Shinzen Broccoli guy sighed, “telling one of the top hitters in the nation that he looked normal right to his face, geez..”</p>
<p>“So far...” Tobio corrected blandly, “I only said that he looked normal so far.”</p>
<p>“Anyway, everyone here is scary good, especially that guy” Broccoli-kun said then looked towards the angry shorty from earlier, who was getting some food, “do you know him, Kageyama?”</p>
<p>“No,” Tobio answered and finished his soup.</p>
<p>“He’s only like five and half feet tall and yet he can jump so high! Do you think he’s as good at jumping as that middle blocker of yours?” Broccoli-kun continued, still subtly spying on the shorty while he spoke.</p>
<p>“No,” Tobio replied, then added bluntly, “he’s better than Hinata.”</p>
<p>The next day, everyone continued with playing practice matches and rotated who were on the teams. Knowing that he was not great at communicating with others, Tobio put in lots of extra effort to check in with his current teammates on the rotation and adjust his tosses to better accommodate them, regardless of whether he thought it would result in a point. He also made sure to follow the coaches instructions exactly, when given advice. He discreetly paid close attention to that shorty, Hoshiumi-san’s jumps and movements when he could too. <em> Ah, I can really see the difference in their jumping posture and why this guy is getting a bit higher than Hinata. I’ll have to tell Hinata to change his form a bit at our next practice..  </em></p>
<p>After practice for the day, Tobio was in the middle of finishing his stretches with Broccoli-kun when the shorty walked over to him, looking determined. </p>
<p>“Hey, fess up.” The guy demanded, crossing his arms, “where have you seen me before?”</p>
<p>“I’ve only seen you since we got here..” Tobio answered neutrally, noticing Broccoli-kun grimace.</p>
<p>“That’s not what I meant. Have you seen my gameplay video before?”</p>
<p>“I haven’t,” Tobio tilted his head slightly, wondering where this guy was going with his questioning.</p>
<p>“Then where is your surprise? Why didn’t you stare and gape in shock! Every time you just look at me with that dumb ‘oh, that’s interesting’ look on your face!” The small guy shouted, looking livid and riled up. Tobio’s eyes widened slightly in surprise at the outburst, but he kept his face mostly neutral while the other continued passionately, “I mean, what’s with you?! Most guys see my height and think that I suck! Only when they see me play do they realize how scary I am! That’s just how things go! That’s the way it should be!”</p>
<p>Tobio raised his eyebrows a little, waiting to see if the other was done then replied, “I am scared of you...but, you’re a useful reference too.”</p>
<p>“Bwah?!” The short guy yelled, clearly not expecting Tobio’s reply. He shrugged slightly and took off his knee braces and armband, putting them in his bag.</p>
<p>“Haha! Looks like someone sure has guts. By the way, Tobio-kun...” Miya-san had walked over and obviously witnessed Hoshiumi’s outburst, “for that prickly first impression you gave, out on the court, you’re an awful sweet goody two shoes, ain’t ya?”</p>
<p>“What?” Tobio asked, squinting darkly at Miya-san. He wasn’t sure what the other setter had meant by that, but he definitely had never heard that said about him before. <em> Goody two shoes? What does that even mean?  </em></p>
<p>Miya-san just tilted his head and commented, “nice tattoo, by the way. You royalty or flowers? Either way, I’m a bit surprised.. you know your soulmate?”</p>
<p>“Huh?” Tobio responded on autopilot, still somewhat stuck on Miya-san’s remark from before, but he caught up quickly enough and answered, “oh, thanks? I know them.”</p>
<p>“Oho! Two? Wow, nice.” Miya-san grinned and continued, “I don’t know mine yet. So interesting, I betcha found them pretty fast with where your tattoo is.. Well, anyway, if they’re not into volleyball, then whatever, I don’t care. Do yours play?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, they both do.” Tobio furrowed his eyebrows at Miya-san slightly, not really expecting a conversation about soulmates here of all places. </p>
<p>“Oh! I’ve met one of them, yeah? He’s on your team, right?” Broccoli chimed in, apparently deciding the topic was interesting enough to reappear after he shied away from Hoshiumi earlier. </p>
<p>“What? Really?” Miya-san asked, somewhat incredulously.</p>
<p>“Yeah, one of them is on my team...” Tobio smiled lightly, thinking of Suga and mildly hoping he wasn’t over straining himself on those synchronized attacks back in Miyagi. He glanced around at the other two and caught them staring back at him blankly. Tilting his head, he asked in an attempt to be polite, “so, uh, you guys don’t know yours? Are your tattoos hidden too well?”</p>
<p>“Mine’s on the inside of my ankle, usually covered by socks..” Miya-san replied, still looking a little spaced out while peering at Tobio’s face, but he pulled down the top of his sock a bit to show half his tattoo, “it’s kinda cosmic, stars and a sun and a moon an’ whatnot.” </p>
<p>“Oh I know mine! She’s in the same class as me too. I can’t seem to ask her out though..” Broccoli-kun put in, idly scratching his chin in thought. </p>
<p>Tobio just nodded along to them, not really knowing what to say with this topic. He always had a hard time talking with people about relationships and soulmates. <em> I think I’d rather go back to that goody two shoes comment from earlier than talk any more about this.. though Miya-san’s tattoo is weirdly familiar.. have I seen that before? Ah, probably not, whatever.  </em></p>
<p>“Um, I’m gonna go shower before dinner.. see ya,” Tobio said quietly and gave them a brief nod goodbye before turning to leave. He noticed Miya-san’s eyes following his movement away, but decided not to dwell on it. He had no idea what that guy could be thinking and it was bizarre to him to talk about soulmate stuff with people he had just met. </p>
<p>The last day’s practice went by in a flash with the players switching roles on the court. Tobio stretched and reflected on how fun it was to play as a wing spiker for a short time, but was glad he could go back to setting the ball. </p>
<p>As if he read his mind, Miya-san walked over and asked, “well, how’d ya like spiking?” </p>
<p>“It was fun!” Tobio responded, a small smile creeping onto his face, “the way you put the ball up was really easy to hit, Miya-san.”</p>
<p>“Ain’t it?!” Miya-san beamed back at him gleefully, then added in a more serious tone, “anyone who can’t hit my sets suck, that’s all there is to it.” </p>
<p>Tobio just stared at the guy, unsure how to respond to that kind of claim. It reminded him of Tooru, with the confidence, but the message was basically the opposite of what his soulmate always spouted. </p>
<p>“Ya know Tobio, don’t ya think you’re more cut out to play wing spiker than setter?” Miya-san asked, filling the silence.</p>
<p>Tobio asked, “Why do you think that?”</p>
<p>“Cuz you always got your face screwed up in this ‘I’m thinking real hard’ look when you’re setting,” Miya-san replied lightly then continued, “but you looked like you were havin’ a blast when you were playin’ on the left side!”</p>
<p>“Did I? I play setter though.” Tobio said, simply, like it was an undeniable fact. </p>
<p>“Well, uh, yeah.. that ya do.” Miya-san tipped his head curiously at him and smirked, then moved to walk away.</p>
<p>Tobio paused for a moment, <em> should I just ask him what he meant earlier?  </em>“Uh, Miya-san, what did you mean earlier, when you called me a goody two shoes?”</p>
<p>“I meant just that.” He said easily, “you’re serious and obligin’ on the court, a real good boy.”</p>
<p>Tobio frowned slightly, still unsure if what Miya-san said was supposed to be insulting or not. <em> Does he think asking for feedback on sets is obliging? How else do you build trust with your team if you don’t communicate? That’s what I’ve been working towards.. maybe it’s more than that? Maybe it’s pushing for that best play from the players too? </em></p>
<p>The coaches finished up the training camp with some advice and well wishes for the spring tournament, and that was it, the camp was over. Tobio walked outside with everyone else, nodding his head in polite goodbyes to the people he met. <em> Ah great.. now, which bus stop was it to get back to the train station? </em></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0030"><h2>30. OT</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Tooru leaned back casually against a garden railing outside the gym where the All Japan Youth Training camp was being held. He smirked to himself as he gazed towards the entrance and saw his sullen soulmate exit the building with some others from the camp. Tobio looked a little grumpy and lost already, the emotion clearly painted across his face. Tooru stood up fully and strolled over, grinning at the other.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tobio-chan!” He beamed when the other abruptly halted his movements and looked around for him, “lost already?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“T-Tooru.. why are you here?” Tobio said, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards slightly like he was pleased but unwilling to show it. Tooru made his way over and slung an arm around Tobio’s shoulders, giving him a small squeeze. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He turned his eyes appraisingly towards the others who were standing around with Tobio. A guy with bushy black hair paled at his attention and gave a slight bow, while another guy with bleached hair and an undercut just smirked back nonchalantly. Tooru could have sworn he recognized this arrogant guy from somewhere. After taking a second to connect the dots, he realized that it was Miya Atsumu, the top high school setter in Japan. Tooru very carefully schooled his face into polite curiosity and masked his true feelings of the discovery, feigning innocent ignorance. The third guy was barely paying attention as he was waving to some others who were leaving but he was quite striking with bizarrely white and grey dyed hair and a short stature. Tooru didn’t recognize this kid, but if he was at the training camp, then he was definitely a top player as well. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh. Uh, this is Chigaya-san, Miya-san, and Hoshiumi-san.” Tobio introduced his recent camp teammates, gesturing towards them in turn, “and this is Oikawa-san, one of my soulmates...” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru was immediately surprised Tobio had divulged this information in an introduction, but shrugged it off easily. He was way more distracted by the fact that Tobio had a chance to practice volleyball with the top players in the nation and wondering what they were like.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, Tobio-kun told us ya play volleyball too, what position?” Miya asked lazily, putting his hands on his hips. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru raised his eyebrows in surprise and grinned, pleased that Tobio had talked about his soulmates to others. For the mountains of impassive behavior Tobio displayed, it was nice to know he didn’t try to hide his relationships. Tooru was worried that this soulmate of his would be secretive, which just wouldn’t work; and despite all the issues they had in the past, now that they were together, Tooru felt like he didn’t want to let go. He knew others would find his soulmates appealing, and not everyone wanted to stick with the soulmate phenomenon anyway. Koushi could more than handle himself in this regard, but Tobio seemed a little dense, like he wouldn’t know if someone was flirting with him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Aww Tobio-chan! Are you flaunting your soulmate bond to people?! So bold!” Tooru gave him another light squeeze, after feeling him tense up at his tease, then he answered, “I’m a setter.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh yeah? Tobio-kun, you gotta thing for setters, huh?” Miya grinned suggestively, leering at Tobio. The other two looked around at Tobio with mild surprise, but didn’t comment. However, the shorty looked like he was getting antsy with the chit chat, and the bushy-haired guy looked too intimidated to say anything in general. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Only good ones..” Tooru smirked back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I bet! Ya know, I’m top in the nation.” Miya replied, still leering with that grin on his face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru felt Tobio’s shoulders stiffen a bit under his arm, and it made his smile drop slightly. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I know who you are Miya, it’s obvious, you’re in all the magazines like Ushiwaka. The question is, why are you flirting with Tobio even though you can clearly see he’s with his soulmates.. I don’t like this guy. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmmm? Well now, good thing he has his fill of setters at home then, right Tobio-chan?” Tooru looked down his nose haughtily at Miya, in a silent challenge to test his authority in this matter.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tobio! Tooru! There you are! Oh man, that line was so long..” Koushi appeared as if out of thin air, a drink in his hand and smiling brightly at them, “what’s going on?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru watched Koushi approach them, still smiling brightly with a breeze picking up his hair prettily, but could tell that he was mildly cautious or maybe apprehensive now as if he had read the room in an instant and knew something was amiss. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Damn, can’t pull anything past this one..</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Haha! Nothing, nothing! Just chatting with some of Tobio’s camp teammates!” Tooru smiled at Koushi slyly, and the latter tilted his head in question. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Koushi shrugged then beamed at Tobio, walking over to him and grabbing his hand with his free one, “hi, I missed you. How was the camp?” He then leaned up gracefully and gave Tobio a soft peck on the cheek. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru smugly took in the mild looks of shock on the others’ faces. He knew he was dramatic and could easily ruffle feathers when he wanted to, but Kou-chan really grabbed that shock value by the hand and ran with it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Koushi, hi.. it was fun.” Tobio answered quietly, a smile spreading on his face, lighting it up handsomely, “what are you guys doing here? This is Chigaya-kun, you know, from Shinzen.. and this is Miya-san, and Hoshiumi-san.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kou-chan nodded politely at the others, smiling charmingly, “hey Chigaya-kun! How’s it goin’? You’re at the youth camp too? That’s no surprise!” then looked back to Tobio, “we decided to come pick you up.. we were touring a few colleges around here anyway.. Daichi and Iwa-kun are here too, somewhere? Probably still held up in that cafe.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Let me guess, you’re a setter too, ain’t ya?” Miya asked Koushi somewhat abruptly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kou-chan looked to Miya curiously, “yes...?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Miya just grinned then looked back to Tobio, “yeah, ya definitely got those setters in full, Tobio-kun! What a riot! Anyway, I gotta run, see ya at spring tourney!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio just nodded politely at the guy and they watched him walk away. The short guy tilted his head at the three of them curiously, but just said while walking away, “See ya at the tournament!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The last guy, Broccoli-chan gave a small wave, “good luck in the tournament guys! I wish we got to play you too, but maybe you’ll get to face off with Nekoma or Fukurodani! See ya!” Then he walked away as well, leaving the three of them standing there in an awkward huddle since Tooru still had an arm around Tobio and Koushi was holding Tobio’s free hand. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh, what was all that about?” Tobio asked, glancing between them curiously.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru hastily removed his arm to give the latter some space and he noticed Daichi-chan and Iwa-chan approaching them with drinks in their hands, talking lightly to each other. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What ya mean? I wasn’t doing anything?” Kou-chan replied sweetly, nudging Tobio with his shoulder. Tooru decided to feign innocence as well, despite knowing he couldn’t do as good of a job as Koushi, but he plastered on a charmingly innocent expression anyway.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you guys tormenting Tobio-kun already?” Iwa-chan groaned, dragging his hand down his face, “we </span>
  <em>
    <span>just</span>
  </em>
  <span> got here.. how can you already be causing problems?!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Iwa-chan! Miya Atsumu was flirting with Tobio-chan, what do you expect?” Tooru whined to his best friend. Iwaizumi just scoffed, and Daichi raised his eyebrows in surprise. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hah?! He was not?! What are you talking about?” Tobio griped, clearly affronted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mmm, he definitely was..” Koushi smiled happily, then dropped Tobio’s hand and gave him a few consoling pats on the back as if to say ‘there, there, don’t mind it’. He saw Koushi exchange a mirthfully impish glance with Daichi, while taking a sip of his drink. </span>
  <em>
    <span>That’s what I thought. I haven’t spent nearly as much time off the court with Tobio as Koushi has, especially around others. So, he really is as oblivious as I thought.. thank god for Koushi.. seems like he meant it when he said Tobio leads others around without having any idea he’s doing it. What an enigma. Tobio-chan, you need to either cut it out or get a clue..</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They made their way to the train so they could all return to Miyagi, boarded, and found a group of seats together. Tooru sat in the middle of a row between Tobio and Koushi, while Daichi and Iwaizumi sat across from the trio. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So really, how was the training camp?” Kou-chan asked Tobio, leaning around Tooru, disregarding his personal space. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio looked towards the other two and frowned slightly. It looked like he was thinking, but he looked oddly grumpier than usual, then his face melted into a contemplative pout, “the floor of the court wasn’t made out of wood like you usually see, and they had this camera and TV set up on a delay so you could watch a play you just made right after you made it! All the players were amazing and so adaptable.. I got to set for some crazy talented spikers. There was a shorty there who could jump higher than Hinata, </span>
  <em>
    <span>and </span>
  </em>
  <span>serve, set, and receive too! I watched his form, and I think I know how our shrimpy idiot could improve though. Sakusa-san puts a nasty spin on his spikes like he’s left-handed, but he’s not, and he’s kinda weird. He bombarded me with questions about how we stopped Ushiwaka like he didn’t believe that we actually stopped him.. he’s amazing, but that was kind of annoying.. Miya-san told me I should be a wing spiker because I look too serious when I’m setting but before that he called me a ‘goody two shoes’.. what does that mean? I asked, but he just said I was ‘obliging’ and a ‘good boy’ on the court. I’m kinda mad about that. Oh! Also, they had really good miso soup.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru just gazed at Tobio, mouth gaping open slightly in shock at the length and content of his diatribe. He glanced across to Iwa-chan and Daichi-chan, noting similarly shocked expressions of disbelief. Then his eyes darted to Kou-chan, who had nodded along seriously, bringing his hand up to his chin. His pretty face just looked contemplative, like he was digesting what was said and not at all thrown by their soulmate’s speech.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmmm” he hummed in response, then said, “well, it sounds like you learned a lot! Do you think you’ll be able to apply it to our team before nationals? Probably too soon, right? ‘Goody two shoes’, huh? Honestly, Tobio, I’ve never considered your tosses like that at all.. what does that even mean? Obliging..” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kou-chan frowned and crossed his arms, pouting and leaning back into his own seat. Tooru raised his eyebrows and looked around at everyone again, basically speechless at this point.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hm.. what happened to that king of the court stuff?” Iwaizumi asked quietly, crossing his arms too, “well, shittykawa, any answers?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmm. The best toss is one that is easy for the spiker to hit.” He replied haughtily, then added, “would that be considered obliging? Maybe. What kind of ruler would you want to be?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio looked back at him, tipping his head to the side in question, then he straightened out and shrugged his shoulders, slumping back into his seat like he was exhausted. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s alright, Tobio.. you don’t have to have answers now, just figure it out as you go, right?” Kou-chan smiled at him, then leaned bodily into Tooru’s side like he was getting comfortable for a nap. Tooru glanced back at Tobio, who was resolutely looking out the window of the train now, his face a stony mask, closed for business.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kageyama-kun.. a team has the same goal of victory, right? You work with people, build relationships, and trust with those on your team working towards the same goal. It brings everyone together. I think.. there are lots of ways to achieve the goal right? When you know your team, build those strong relationships, and really build up that mutual trust.. does it really matter if someone else thinks your communication is ‘obliging’? Besides, your team will be there to back you up, so why wouldn’t you do the same in return? There’s nothing wrong with showing the effort it takes to create that kind of team..” Daichi-chan spoke calmly and collected, regardless of Tobio’s attention still lingering out the window. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah... I see what you mean, thanks captain.” Tobio responded, looking at Daichi briefly, then surveying the ground like he was lost in thought. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kou-chan smiled and mouthed ‘thank you’ to Daichi. He rubbed at his temples with his hand, then rested his head against Tooru’s shoulder, closing his eyes. Tooru decided not to bother him as it looked like he might have a headache and just let himself be used as a pillow. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Only a few minutes later Daichi was showing Iwa-chan some random video on his phone and Tooru just watched the scenery go by out the window. He felt Tobio slump against his other side and peeked over, seeing that the other was nodding off as well. Warmth quickly enveloped him as both his soulmates were now using him as a pillow and he realized that Tobio had even snaked his arm under and around his own somehow, holding onto him comfortably. </span>
  <em>
    <span>How the hell did I end up here?! Snuggling on a train, really? Oh no, what if Iwa-chan sees this, he’ll never let me live it down. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Iwa-chan must secretly be psychic, because he looked up in that moment directly at the very lovey-dovey, domestic scene before him. His face morphed from incredulity to amusement and he laughed. Tooru pouted, but didn’t want to move and wake his sleeping soulmates.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Daichi looked up too at Iwa-chan’s laughter, then smirked knowingly, “getting cozy over there?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru rolled his eyes at him and huffed, “what am I? A pillow?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“King-sized.” Iwa-chan jibed, looking very pleased with himself and Daichi laughed too. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You know, Suga tells me all the time how clingy Kageyama-kun is, but it's definitely bizarre to actually see it.. he’s not usually into public displays.” Daichi commented, smiling genially at Tooru, “you’ll take good care of them? Captain to captain, I don’t have to have this talk with you, right? Suga’s my best friend.. I’ve been corralling him for years now and he’s quite scrappy so watch out.. but I still worry sometimes, he’s a hopeless romantic, you know?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You don’t have to worry,” Tooru replied haughtily, then continued more quietly, “I won’t let go, now that I’ve grabbed on. Not that I could even if I wanted to, I’m completely entangled..”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Daichi nodded slowly, seemingly surprised at his determination, and Iwaizumi added, “trashykawa’s stubborn.. both a blessing and a curse..” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru scoffed at his friend and rolled his eyes again. He considered the two of them for a moment, then said quietly, “I may... have to go pretty far.. to get where I want to be. Do you think they’ll be okay with that?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What do you mean by far?” Iwa-chan asked, clearly suspicious and Daichi frowned slightly, waiting for an answer as well.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That coach I’ll be working with in college.. he’s thinking of going back to Argentina sometime in the near future, but I don’t have a timeline. I’ll need to follow..” Tooru looked out the window, avoiding their piercing gazes. He didn’t need to see them when he could feel their sharpness all the same.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, are you saying you’ll break up with them so you can galavant around the world?” Iwa-chan asked sharply, his patience razor thin. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No. No, definitely not. But.. long distance is rough, and I don’t know how long I’d be away. Listen, I don’t know if this will happen, but I suspect it will.. do you think they’ll be okay?” Tooru tried again, unsure if he wanted honesty or validation. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I think..you should talk to them when the time is right and you have solid answers, then decide together on what you all would want.” Daichi reasoned, “everyone expects to do what they want career wise. You’re pretty flashy about it though, huh?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I want to play in the Olympics.” Tooru stated quietly, deadly serious, “I will get there.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“They’ll understand that, especially Kageyama... just be honest with Suga. I figure you already know this, but he’ll just draw the truth out of you anyway. He has superpowers, I’m convinced he does.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru nodded brusquely, a worrying frown working its way onto his face, “thanks, you’re a good guy, Captain-chan.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Daichi raised his eyebrows at the cutesy nickname and Iwa-chan just rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath, “pain in the ass.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Miyagi was fast approaching, and the train started slowing down, winding to a stop at the station. Tooru turned his head and whispered ‘hey’ in Koushi’s ear, trying to wake him up without startling him. He stirred and sat up, stretching his arms above his head. Tooru turned the other way and attempted the same thing, but only got grumbled discontent in response. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“To-bi-o-cha-n!” Tooru called softly, liltingly, and his sleepy soulmate groaned and sat up, eyes still closed. He rubbed them drowsily, like a little kid, and peeked them open, staring straight ahead where Iwaizumi happened to be bent forward, shrugging on his jacket. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yachi-san.” Tobio murmured. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah.. no? Oh my, what were you dreaming of?” Tooru grinned, completely surprised by this turn of events.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tobio! Are you fantasizing about your friends instead of your soulmates?!” Kou-chan exclaimed with a scarily icy tone, though he still looked half asleep and not completely of this world yet. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hah?! Fantasizing.. what? Fanta- No! No I’m not! Look!” And he pointed at Iwaizumi, who froze at the gesture while he was in the middle of fixing his off-kilter shirt; the collar loosely pulled and needed to be straightened out. Tooru squinted at his best friend for an answer, but the other just shrugged, looking completely caught off guard by Tobio’s weird outburst. Tooru peered back at Koushi, who was now looking keenly at Iwaizumi and definitely awake, but he looked just as confused. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio scoffed like he was annoyed that everyone was slow on the uptake, “tattoos, watery plants or whatever.” Then he yawned again, running a hand through his hair and around to the back of his neck.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, what?” Iwa-chan spoke up, now staring Tobio down like he was holding a detonator trigger and any slight movement would release an explosion.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“They look the same. Little water plants and a flowing stream.” Tobio reiterated neutrally, and he looked to Koushi for backup, “don’t you think so too?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tobio, I wouldn’t know. I haven’t seen hers..” Kou-chan replied slowly, looking floored at this development. Daichi just sat in shock, looking back and forth each time someone spoke.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh. Yeah.. it’s a little higher, like almost on her collarbone, but I really do think they look the same.” Tobio dragged his hands across his face, clearly having a rough time waking up fully, then looked back at Iwaizumi, “do you want her number?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“.. um, yeah.. I guess I do.” Iwa-chan answered slowly, incredulously, and clearly irked by Tobio’s unintentional nonchalance. Tobio remained oblivious to his social torture and held out his hand like he was waiting for Iwaizumi to fork over his phone. The latter did and Tobio input some contact information then handed it back promptly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The train was stopped at this point and passengers were shuffling around to get off, so Tooru just watched as Tobio got up and headed out without a second thought to the mental chaos he just unleashed on the rest of the group. Koushi stood too and started to go after him, Tooru decided to follow suit, and whispered to him, “well now, that was fun..” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kou-chan looked back over his shoulder at Tooru and smiled impishly, “never a dull moment.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0031"><h2>31. SK</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Suga walked into the gym with Daichi and a few others from the team. It was the day of their last practice match before spring nationals and they were lucky enough to go against Datekou. Coach had mentioned before the match that Datekou had improved greatly on their blocking techniques and it would be comparable to what they may face during nationals. Suga was mildly worried about Asahi, but he seemed fine and even mentioned that he wanted to work on a mid-air time delay attack. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga slipped on his volleyball shoes, thinking back on the previous evening’s practice; Asahi had commented that Tobio seemed even surlier than usual, which was saying something. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ever since he got back from All Japan Youth Training Camp, he’s been a little withdrawn.. I can see it too, that harsh frown. But he seemed so contemplative when Daichi spoke with him on the train. Maybe it just didn’t hit home like I thought. I wonder if he’s still thinking of that ‘goody two shoes’ business.. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga looked up and around the gym briefly, trying to locate his frowny soulmate, and spotted him with ease. He was talking with Coach quietly, and it looked somewhat serious. Suga peered at his face, trying to decipher if his frown was more severe than usual, and it did seem a little more unsettled. Suga tsk-ed at himself for trying to read his boyfriend’s mind instead of just asking him and finished tying his shoes. When it looked like Coach and Tobio were done talking, he made his way over and lightly grabbed Tobio’s hand to get his attention. The latter turned around immediately and caught his eyes in question.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, you okay?” Suga asked, trying to be casual.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah, yeah. I was just talking to Coach about the camp and the thing Miya-san said.. but Coach said the same thing that Tooru said on the train..”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, you definitely set balls that are easy to hit for spikers. Are you worried about something else?” Suga probed, giving his hand a squeeze.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, not really. But something about what Miya-san said, just bothers me. I can’t figure out what.” He answered, frowning even deeper and looking off across the gym. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmm. Maybe today’s match will be a good chance to figure it out?” Suga tried to be positive, not wanting Tobio to drift further into his cloudy headspace. Coach called everyone to line up and start the match, leaving Suga’s comfort attempt feeling half-hearted, but he would just have to hope for the best. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It turned out that Coach was right about Datekou improving on their skills since the spring high preliminaries. Their blocks were put together so fast that they even got a few fingers on Tobio and Hinata’s freak quick right from the start. Suga analyzed Tobio to see if he was getting frustrated with all the pressure from the blocks stopping their spikes, but he seemed to be setting with his usual preciseness. He even looked mildly happy at one point after a particularly nasty block from the opposing team. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Hmm, maybe he’s just losing it in general. Scary.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Soon after, Noya made an amazing save using his dramatic ‘rolling thunder’ move and the ball went flying back perfectly to Tobio to set. His teammates called out praises of ‘good save!’ and ‘nice dig!’ while Noya grinned, looking satisfied with his efforts. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nishinoya-san!” Tobio called sharply while mid-jump, setting the ball, “you’re in the way!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was like someone flipped a switch and Karasuno went silent, everyone staring at Tobio and Noya in a disbelieving stupor, regardless of the fact that the ball was still in play, their attention drawn to the pair of them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Noya, however, growled out, “huh?!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>While Tobio neatly set the ball to Tanaka, who spiked it through a block and scored, Noya sprang over to Tobio and got right up into his personal space. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Whatchoo say to me?!” He snarled, staring up into Tobio’s impassive face with a murderous expression. Suga just stared, wide-eyed, unsure whether or not he should try to jump in de-escalate the tension somehow. He took a quick glance around and realized everyone was probably in the same frame of mind at that moment. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh shit. Tobio, did you just instigate a fight with our libero on a successful dig?!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I said, you were in the way of the back row hitter’s approach.” Tobio reiterated, not backing down in the slightest. Despite Noya’s small stature, the menacing energy radiating off him was palpable and Suga was surprised that Tobio didn’t even flinch. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Noya paused for a millisecond, unmoving and staring blankly into Tobio’s face then replied, “gotcha!” He turned and walked away, all that rage dissipating instantly like it was never there to begin with. Everyone visibly deflated, unknowingly worked up by the incredible tension. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Wait, was Noya really in a bad spot on the court?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wow. I didn’t notice that at all,” Suga said, a little awed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kageyama’s pretty amazing, spotting that in the middle of a rally. And Nishinoya too, for instantly knowing what he was talking about.” Ennoshita commented, crossing his arms, clearly scrutinizing his teammates.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What I think is amazing is how he got away with talking to Nishinoya-san like that...” Yamaguchi put in, grimacing. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Almost as soon as the words left Yamaguchi’s mouth, Tanaka turned toTobio and said, “okay, you had a point bro, but there’s other ways you coulda put it, ya know?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio glanced over to Tanaka and replied offhandedly, “how else was I supposed to put that?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga groaned as Tanaka’s face twitched in irritation and Daichi got between them, steering Tanaka away so they could continue the match. Tobio had this knack for phrasing things in a hostile manner, and Suga knew that most of the time it was unintentional, but it was definitely a problem on occasion. Today was starting to feel like one of those occasional days, and he was becoming more and more apprehensive of landmines. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A few rallies later, Tsukishima scored a point with a pretty decent spike, however Tobio looked murderous. Clearly, Tsukishima picked up on the stink eye as well and snarked, “what? I scored, so what’s the problem? If there’s something you want to say, how about you say it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio continued to glare at the other, completely silent. Suga stage-whispered to Tsukishima, “psst! You know he doesn’t because if he did you two would argue! Besides, you are so barking up the wrong tree if you think he can put everything into words right now..” the others on the sidelines whispered in agreement.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But ya know,” Hinata started quietly, “Kageyama saying stuff in an annoying way or saying one more thing than he really needs to is normal for him... him not saying anything at all is weird.” Suga grimaced and looked back to his soulmate on the court. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Okay, so Hinata can tell something is off too. What is going on with you, Tobio? </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Things continued to go south, in Suga’s opinion, when Tsukishima didn’t jump twice to catch a back-row attack he could obviously see was coming, and Tobio got wound-up again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey! Why didn’t you jump a second time? You had the time to block again!” Tobio growled out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tsukishima looked so agitated like he was about to come out of his skin, but then he turned to Tobio and plastered on the most mockingly fake smile Suga had ever seen, “goodness your majesty! What has you all upset today? Does his royal highness have his panties in a bunch?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Say what?” Tobio looked back at Tsukishima darkly, but nothing came of it as Daichi and Tanaka swooped in and separated them before they could continue. Suga heard Hinata and Yamaguchi talking quietly about the pair and how they just didn’t really get along, both mostly unwilling to listen to each other. Suga sighed, grateful a fight didn’t break out. Not that he could imagine Tsukishima pulling a punch, but he could see Tobio doing it if he was riled up enough. He felt grateful for Daichi’s de-escalation skills, as he was very obviously playing referee today. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’ll have to buy him a coffee or something for corralling my soulmate so much today.. I know he feels responsible as captain to keep things together, but it’s starting to get a little dicey on the court. I can’t believe it’s still only the first set. Geez, maybe a slice of cake too..</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His moment of respite turned out to be too brief. Just in the next play, Asahi mistimed his spike, sending it flying way past the end of the court and Datekou scored. It wasn’t the first time during the match that Asahi had mistimed a spike or made a silly error which was really unusual for him. Suga thought the way it played out looked really comical, with Asahi’s fierce determination ending up in such a home run that it made him laugh, “bwahaha! Asahi, you suck today! What’s gotten into you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Damnit! Sorry! That was me! You put the ball up just fine!” Asahi lamented, scrubbing his hands across his face. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Then score already.” Tobio responded bluntly, looking mildly irritated.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh. Uh.. sorry..” Asahi repeated, looking sheepish. Tanaka looked like he was about to pounce on Tobio, and Daichi put a hand on his shoulder, muttering something in his ear. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tsukishima sneered at Tobio and said quietly, “hah.. just our luck. He goes to that youth camp and what happens? He reverts to being his old kingly self.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio didn’t seem to hear Tsukishima’s commentary and the game continued. However, only a moment later he griped at Tsukishima again, “hey! No slacking off on your approach!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga frowned slightly while he watched from the sidelines, wondering if anything should be done about Tobio’s attitude shift. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Two slices of cake. Should I try talking to him again? Something is definitely going on here.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“After spending a week in that youth camp working with those gifted players, I wonder if he’s starting to get annoyed at how we don’t stack up with what he got used to?” Ennoshita commented, looking to Suga for his opinion.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t be surprised if that was part of it.. but I get the feeling his keeping quiet and not calling anyone out this whole time was the exception, not the rule.” Suga put in, thinking back on Tobio’s innate imperious attitude towards volleyball. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He yells at me all the time!” Hinata squawked in protest to Suga’s theory. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re the exception that proves the rule.” Suga added, smiling brightly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The whistle blew then, indicating that the game was over and Datekou had won the first set. Daichi called out to do diving revive laps as a penalty for their loss, and everyone started to head over to begin. Suga peeked over at Tobio and frowned, noticing him looking frustrated. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was about to head over and talk with him but Asahi beat him to the punch and called out to him, “umm.. Kageyama? listen..”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This isn’t my fault!” Tobio said in a low tone, his posture stiffening like a spooked cat. He couldn’t seem to hold back anymore and continued angrily, “I’m putting the ball up just the way you want it! Stop screwing around and score already!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then he froze with a shocked expression on his face like he couldn’t believe he had just lashed out like that. Everyone stared at the scene, decently surprised by his unusual outburst at his senpai.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tsukishima smiled smugly and commented, “well, well, if it isn’t his royal highness back in kingly form.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio’s face dropped, falling slack in defeat, and he looked at the ground bending forward slightly, “I’m so-“</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ya know, I’ve been thinking this for a while now, but what’s so bad about being a king?” Hinata walked over, holding his towel around his neck casually, “is it because he’s tyrannical? Egotistical? What does that matter anyway? If I don’t agree with what Kageyama says, I’m just not gonna listen to him.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio looked up at Hinata incredulously, his eye twitching.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t care what he says, if I don’t like how he says it, I ain’t listening” Tanaka put in thoughtfully, while Tsukishima took off his glasses and wiped them down, quietly agreeing. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga turned to Daichi conspiratorially and commented, “Tanaka says that, but you know he’ll listen. Grumpily, but he’ll listen. He’s just picky about making sure his friends are respected..”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“True..” Daichi whispered back, still staring blankly at the whole ordeal before him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Um, personally, I’d prefer it if you’d put it more gently...” Asahi chimed in timidly. Suga laughed derisively to himself at this comment, knowing full well that volleyball was basically the only thing Tobio wasn’t gentle with, and his friend just had no idea. Daichi gave Suga a weird side-eyed look and Suga just shrugged back at him as if to say ‘don’t mind’. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“See, who cares if you’re a ‘king’ or not. It doesn’t matter. Heck I think being a ‘king’ is pretty cool..” Hinata remarked, folding his towel into a circular shape.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The best way to set the ball is the way that’s easiest for the spiker to hit. Yes, finding that way does involve a lot of back and forth communication with your spikers. But, no one ever said you’re not allowed to argue for what you want.” Coach Ukai said seriously to Tobio. The latter still looked mildly taken aback by everything going on and was staring into space like he was on another planet and trying to spot the earth. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Anyway, sorry about that Kageyama. I’ve been experimenting with shifting around the timing of when I hit the ball to mess with the blockers.. but with blockers as good as Datekou, it hasn’t been working out very well. You’re setting the ball great. If you could just keep doing what you’re doing, I’d appreciate it.” Asahi explained, breaking Tobio from his trance, “oh, but I’m probably going to get blocked a lot this game, so let me apologize ahead of time. Sorry!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I wanna get that super sharp cut shot down and I ain’t gonna stop trying!” Tanaka suddenly griped at Tobio, “especially with Datekou’s blocking to practice against! If you don’t like it, too bad! Deal!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I make no promises.” Tobio grunted back, sounding peeved at Tanaka’s harshness. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Bwhahaha! Bring it on, bro!” Tanaka shouted gleefully and walked away, rolling his spiking shoulder to prepare for the next game. It was good timing, as the referees announced the start of the second set. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga walked back over to the side of the court with the rest of his non-starting teammates while the starters took to the court. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kinoshita spoke up quietly as they were walking, “man, you wouldn’t think it.. but Kageyama is actually really considerate of everyone. He got super upset about all that even though what he said wasn’t all that weird or wrong.. he could have put it better though, yeah..”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you think that big blow-up he had with his old team at middle school is still bothering him?” Yamaguchi asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know, right? You wouldn’t figure him for the type to cling to old drama like that.” Narita added lightly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What counts as a big deal, all depends on the person.” Ennoshita brought up the rear of their group, putting in his two cents as well, “I think, to Kageyama, that one set in middle school was a very, very big deal.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You know, I wasn’t there, so I don’t know the details, but I can tell you one thing..” Suga commented calmly, “today, Tobio is aware of the possibility that </span>
  <em>
    <span>he</span>
  </em>
  <span> could be the one in the wrong. I think it was his old middle school teammates who woke him up to that fact... the hard way.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The second set continued and everything seemed to be going a lot better now that the drama was over. Suga peered across the court, narrowing his eyes at his soulmate, and could definitely tell there was a mood shift. He seemed a lot lighter than before, even as he was pushing Tsukishima’s buttons, making the latter jump higher than ever before. It was like a tight cord had finally snapped and Tobio didn’t seem to care anymore to accommodate everyone’s poor volleyball habits; pushing them gently to break those habits and do better. Suga could immediately tell that Tobio was making small adjustments to his sets that would improve his teammates’ contact points with the ball, making them better players. He shuddered to himself, unsettled by how fast Tobio could make those adjustments to improve his teammates once he got past the mental block he had firmly in place since middle school. Glancing over to him again, Suga saw him and Hinata messing around, Hinata saying something about being a ‘king’ again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Behold!” Hinata shouted, grinning and jumping up to place the towel he had been folding on Tobio’s head, “I crown thee, the new ‘king of the court’!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio looked quite alarmed, then he smiled and wrenched off the towel and threw it back in Hinata’s face. Hinata let out an ‘oomph’ sound and put the towel back around his neck, complaining that he wanted a cool nickname too. Noya patted his back consolingly and said he’d help come up with one, leaving Hinata looking appeased. Suga smiled as he watched them while Coach Ukai walked over.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Looks like he’s over it,” the coach said privately to Suga.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah.” Suga smiled a little brighter, glad that things ended up working out. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m going to consider this a super lucky turn of events! </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The rest of the match went by pretty smoothly with Tobio communicating more with his teammates and assuring them that he’d work on being the best setter possible despite not having a solid grasp on how everyone’s feeling. Coach gave some good advice about keeping tabs on his teammates' condition and gameplay and reminded him that he didn’t have to completely understand how others felt during a game to play well. Before Suga knew it, the sets were over and it was time to clean up and leave. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After saying goodbye to the scary-looking third years from Datekou, Suga told Daichi and Asahi to go on ahead and he hung back, loitering by the gym entrance. He leaned against the wall and pulled out his phone while he waited for his familiar black-haired setter to emerge. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>New chat message with Oikawa </em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Sugaaa </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>4:56PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>hey, we had a rough practice match with Datekou today. Tobio had a bit of a breakdown, kinda.. you free tonight?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Tooruchan </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>4:57PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>breakdown? What happened? Yeah, I’m free, I can meet up with you guys</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Sugaaa </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>4:58PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>nice! I might need backup haha! Nothing too terrible, just the past creeping up on him and more of the same from the train.. I think everything is resolved, but it would be good to keep an eye out </span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Tooruchan </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>4:59PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>the past, huh? Are you sure I wouldn’t just be throwing fuel on the fire then? If this is about middle school...</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Sugaaa </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>5:00PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>yes and no. I think it’s a good idea. Besides Tooruchan, I thought you liked playing with fire? ;)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Tooruchan </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>5:01PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>hmmmm you got me there Kouchan! Alright, I’ll come to you then. When, where?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Sugaaa </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>5:01PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>oh so sweet! &lt;3 I’ll text you when I find out what the plan is.. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga glanced up from his phone and saw Tobio walking out. He slipped the device in his pocket then called out lightly, “yo.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio looked around to him and met his eyes, his face melting into a small smile. Suga huffed a laugh, smiling back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, feeling better now?” He inquired.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh.. yeah, sorry about all that.” Tobio answered, looking somewhat sheepish, which was an expression Suga never thought he’d see on the other. Tobio put his hands on his hips and continued after a beat, “I was just mixed up. I think I’ve sorted it out now though.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmmm that’s good news then,” Suga grinned and took a step towards him, “you know you can talk to me, right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What? Yeah, I know that. I think it was just actually playing with the team again in a match and not knowing how to say what I was thinking. It all kind of blew up, huh?” Tobio huffed and looked away at the ground. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga moved closer, getting right into Tobio’s space, “well, it was bound to happen eventually. I think it’s good it happened before the tournament. You don’t have to hold back with your volleyball, you know? The team’s pretty reliable, even if we’re not necessarily all top players.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio’s eyes darted back to Suga and he stared, “it’s me who had to adjust. Now I feel like we all can. We can make it to the top.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s the spirit!” Suga smiled brightly, then it melted into a mischievous tilt. He closed the meager distance between them and kissed him, wrapping his arms around his neck for balance. Tobio kissed him back, delicately, seemingly oblivious that he was now fully engaging in a public display of affection that he usually shied away from. Suga heard someone loudly clear their throat a few feet away and he opened his eyes and turned towards the noise, breaking the kiss. He stayed right where he was though, pressed up against Tobio, who had snaked his arms around the small of his back without him noticing. Glancing over to his right, he realized they had gained an audience including Hinata, Yamaguchi, Tsukishima, Koganegawa, and Aone. The guys from Datekou looked floored, the other setter looked like he was about to burst with wanting to say something, but he didn’t. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tsukishima, obviously being the one who had interrupted in the first place, rolled his eyes while Hinata grinned and admonished them, “Suga-senpai! Please don’t distract Kageyama! I wanted to spike more balls today!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yamaguchi laughed and quickly hid it behind his hand. The Datekou team members didn’t seem to know how to handle this new revelation and just stared. Suga realized he was still in Tobio’s arms snuggly, but his boyfriend’s grasp didn’t loosen in the slightest, despite all the attention now on them so he tilted his head at the others and replied, “hmm? We’re not in the gym anymore, Hinata! It’s not that distracting! Besides, it might snow in a bit, and I forbid you to bike over a mountain while it’s snowing!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Suga-senpai.. it’s a little hard to take you seriously when you’re wrapped around Bakayama like that...” Hinata pouted, folding his arms across his body defensively. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright. Well I, for one, have seen enough. Happy new year, goodbye.” Tsukishima said quietly, nodding his head to the Datekou guys and walked off.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yamaguchi snickered again and waved, moving to follow Tsukishima, “happy new year!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll walk with you guys a little ways.. best to leave them alone, soulmate business and all that, I guess,” Hinata said brightly to Aone and Koganegawa, ushering them off, “see ya!” Suga watched them walk away, Hinata looking like he had already moved on and started up a lively conversation with Koganegawa. He could have sworn he heard Koganegawa shout something like ‘soulmates, for real?!’, but it could have been something else. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then they were alone again, their audience gone. Suga felt a little guilty for making Tobio endure that and looked back up into his face. His eyes were already on him, gazing at him intensely with an undercurrent of emotion Suga couldn’t quite place. He didn’t have time to think about it as Tobio leaned forward, bringing his lips to Suga’s, and kissed him deeply. The eagerness of his soulmate left him mildly surprised and he let out a tiny gasp. It seemed like Tobio was hyped up on hormones as he took that opportunity to slip his tongue along Suga’s delicately. Suga didn’t give way to any of the intruding thoughts buzzing around his head and just went with the moment, kissing Tobio languidly in return.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They stayed like that for a little bit, taking their time enjoying the warmth of each other while the air around them was so chilled. It must have only been a few minutes, but Suga felt like time was at a standstill until he heard voices approaching from inside the gym; more people were about to head out. He pulled away, letting go of his soulmate and shivering slightly at the loss of body heat. Tobio snagged his hand and started walking off towards his house. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Come on, it’s cold. We can warm up under the kotatsu. I’ll make us dinner.” Tobio murmured, his voice getting picked up and carried off by the wind. Suga felt dazed for a moment and just followed his lead. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I don’t understand how you can be so bad at communicating and yet so smooth sometimes. You’re just a handful, Tobio.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They made their way to Tobio’s house and Suga shot a discreet text to Tooru while they walked so he could meet up with them. Taking a quick pace to keep warm, they made it there in no time and Tobio let them in, taking off his shoes by the door. Suga followed suit, then allowed himself to be ushered into the living room where Tobio had set up his heated table, kotatsu, which looked really inviting with a small bowl of oranges placed on it as well. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll make some tea, go get warm.” Tobio nudged Suga gently towards the table then disappeared into the kitchen. He huffed and settled down under the blanket that was attached to the table, already warming up considerably. Glancing around, he noticed some family pictures on a credenza that he hadn’t noticed before, and squinted at them from his comfortable spot under the table. He didn’t really come over to Tobio’s house much, since everyone was typically busy with school and volleyball club. When they got together over the weekends, it was usually out at a cafe or park. Suga inwardly huffed in agitation, recalling the presumptuous teasing people aimed at him since Tobio lived alone. He shook his head of the agitation and noted the people in the pictures; Tobio when he was a little boy, a girl several years older, and a kind-looking old man. There was another with Tobio’s mother and the kids as well, but Suga didn’t see any with a person who could be his father. Suga hummed to himself and looked up when he heard his soulmate coming back into the living room, arms laden with a tray holding three mugs of steaming tea. Suga raised his eyebrows in question at the other as he set down the tray softly, putting the mugs on the table. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I could guess-“ Tobio started to say, but the doorbell rang suddenly. He smiled slyly, and left the room again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Not even a full minute later, he entered the living room again, with Tooru in tow, who looked frozen and windswept. Suga beamed at the pair of them and greeted Tooru, smirking, “hey, honey.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey to you too, sweetheart. I’m freezing!” Tooru patted Tobio on the shoulder clumsily then basically dove under the kotatsu. He grabbed a mug and gingerly took a sip of the steaming tea then sighed, “thanks for the tea Tobio-chan!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Geez, Tooru-chan, did ya walk the whole way here or have a run-in with a yeti or something?” Suga asked, smiling and sipping his tea.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s fashionable to get the most out of the winter season, you know. Snowy trepidation is a look.” He snarked, moody after his chilly travels. Suga grinned, but hid it behind his mug, secretly amused by Tooru’s bratty side.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio sat down too finally, Suga just realizing that he had disappeared briefly again to grab the teapot, but was tossing the blanket over himself and ready to warm up as well. Suga watched him take a few sips of the tea, looking much more comfortable now and genuinely happy, his lips upturned pleasantly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, Tobio-chan, how have you been getting on here by yourself since your mom moved?” Tooru brought up nonchalantly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, fine. No problems so far.” Tobio replied, like he was reporting to an office manager. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Say.. who’s that in your pictures?” Suga asked, gesturing towards the frames in question with a tip of his head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“My mom, sister, and grandfather.” Tobio answered, but Suga just kept his gaze on him steadily, then Tobio continued quietly, “my dad isn’t around. My mom’s always been on a.. um.. busy career path. When my sister and I were younger, we used to spend most of our time with my grandfather. He coached volleyball, that’s how I started playing back around first grade.. My sister used to play too, but she dropped it in middle school. Not sure why, we spent all of our time in the gym anyway. My grandfather passed away during my second year of middle school. Then Miwa got into a good college, but it’s far, I think a six-hour train ride? That’s basically it..”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga nodded, his mouth hanging open slightly, hands hovering in the air gripping his mug from where he was stunned after just taking a sip, “I’m sorry for your loss, Tobio.” Suga’s eyes darted over to Tooru, taking in his puzzled looking expression, then shifted back to Tobio.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, thanks. Don’t mind though, it was a while ago..” Tobio’s face fell slightly and he gazed at his cup for a moment before looking back up at Suga, “I think he would have liked you guys. He was really invested in soulmates, married his, had a family, and all that. He always used to say things about balance and try to explain the phenomenon to me using volleyball examples, now that I’m thinking about it..” Tobio grinned suddenly, like he remembered something particularly enlightening.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga unconsciously imitated Tobio’s expression, “sounds like he was wonderful.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, he really was. He was always patient and caring. It was comforting. The gym became comforting. I think so anyway, if I’m really thinking back on it. Not sure Miwa would agree, who knows. She’s a lot like mom. Maybe I’m like mom too, then, I don’t think I’m very much like gramps.” Tobio said, somewhat hushed and reflective, then he sat up suddenly, “oh! It’s getting late, I’m going to make us some dinner.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga just stared at him while he bolted out from under the table and made for the kitchen briskly, taking his cup with him. Suga shot Tooru an inquisitive look, hoping the other had gleaned the same ideas from that conversation. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Hmmm. Well now. This explains a lot.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru slowly took another sip of his tea and looked back at Suga with a very solemn expression written across his face, “makes me never want to leave him alone again.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It certainly was insightful..explains quite a bit about some of his more polarizing habits..” Suga added darkly, unhappy that Tobio had a hard time in his past with his upbringing. He sighed and leaned forward, resting his face in his hand, “I think it seems like he’s very similar to his grandfather.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru just nodded slowly, then said, “sheds some light on middle school that I’ve always wondered about.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga scrutinized Tooru’s hardened expression as he seemed weighed down by the new information and lost in analyzing it thoroughly. Suga reached over with his free hand and caressed his arm lightly, attempting to break him out of his spiraling. Tooru blinked, then looked back at Suga, giving him a haughty smile and moving to stand up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Let’s go keep him company,” Tooru said, then he leaned forward and tapped Suga lightly on the nose. Suga huffed a laugh at the gesture and got up too, following the other into the kitchen. Tooru moved right up behind Tobio, who was washing some lettuce in the sink, and wrapped his arms around him, enveloping him in a smothering embrace. They were nearly the same height, but Tobio still looked dwarfed in this position. Suga smirked and rested against the counter, watching them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?” Tobio asked impassively, clearly lost in thought.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hm? Can’t I show my appreciation for my boyfriend who’s slaving over a hot stove for us?” Tooru said, his voice taking on that lilting tone. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m washing lettuce.” Tobio said dryly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga laughed, bringing his hand up to block his mouth, “pfft haha! I’m so glad you two aren’t boring..” he remarked, mostly to himself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kou-chan! Boring?! I haven’t been boring a single day in my life.” Tooru released Tobio and faced Suga, putting his hands on his hips, “..and Tobio’s a barrel of laughs.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A wide grin spread across Suga’s face at Tooru’s ridiculousness, then he broke down into a bright fit of laughter at the confused, affronted look on Tobio’s face as he just stood there with dripping, wet lettuce. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, sure. Go sit down or something so I can finish this..” Tobio remarked flatly and swished around the lettuce, ridding it of any lingering water, then turned to rummage through the fridge for more ingredients. Tooru scoffed, and meandered over to the kitchen table, plopping down theatrically like he was a grand ruler waiting to be entertained. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga decided he wasn’t in the mood to play jester, so he walked over to Tobio and asked, “can I help with anything?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hm? Oh, sure if you want, can you chop those tomatoes for the salad?” Tobio replied absently, stirring a pot that had some sort of sauce bubbling away inside. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga helped here and there to prepare the rest of the meal, and they brought everything to the table. It was still somewhat surprising to him how Tobio was a much better cook than he was, even though he cooked several times a week for his own family. Tobio had made a pasta dish with an Alfredo sauce and side salad. Tooru looked at the meal disbelievingly, like he couldn’t fathom Tobio having a wide repertoire of recipes to make and just expect the same thing as last time. For once, Suga wasn’t surprised when he bit into his pasta and it was perfect and delicious, melting on his tongue and warming him up completely. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A little later when they had finished, Tooru cleared the table and washed the dishes, while Suga asked Tobio, “do you have any movies?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh, a few on my laptop. Wanna watch? We could always watch-“</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t you dare finish that sentence with ‘volleyball match’. Tobio, we were told to take a break before nationals start..” Suga scolded him lightly, poking him in the side. Tobio lurched sideways, avoiding further abuse and scoffed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They settled down under the kotatsu, huddling up in front of the laptop. Tooru took the space in the middle, lounging back against the edge of the couch with his long legs sprawled out in front of him extending under the table. Suga sat down next to him, folding his knees up by his chest, wrapping his arms around them casually. Tobio was on Tooru’s other side, a little more forward, bent over slightly and scrolling through some movie options. He finally landed on one and started up a random superhero flick, but Suga was having trouble concentrating on the characters and their contrived strife. Sighing quietly to himself, he ran his hand through his hair, tucking a few stray strands behind his ear. He felt Tooru’s hand start fiddling with the hem of his shirt idly, while he watched the caped heroes galavanting across the screen.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Relax. You look stressed. Nervous about nationals?” Tooru whispered, sneaking his hand under Suga’s shirt and running his fingers across his skin on the small of his back. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga shivered slightly at the unexpected contact and looked back over his shoulder at Tooru, “maybe? I don’t know. I’m fine though, really.” Tooru nodded, but looked skeptical, then returned his attention to the screen. He continued his soft caressing though, moving his hand up and down Suga’s back soothingly, distracting him from his stress. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio leaned back on his hands, lazily hanging his head back and looking up at the ceiling, obviously uninterested in the movie as well. He turned his eyes on the pair of them, looking relaxed, “you wanna know what I do to destress?” Suga’s jaw dropped and he stared at Tobio, unblinking. </span>
  <em>
    <span>There’s no way he means.. that..</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmmm, I have a few guesses,” Tooru smirked back at him, raising his eyebrows teasingly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“.. w-well it’s only natural, so it makes sense..” Suga tilted his head slightly, still taken aback, but increasingly curious.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hah? Oh. Yeah, that would work too.” Tobio looked back up to the ceiling like he was processing information, then said distractedly, “I was going to say take a nap..”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga felt his cheeks flare up and he hid behind a hand, rubbing his temples gently. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ugh, what was I thinking, of course he wasn’t talking about that. He seemed so flirtatious though.. I’ve definitely seen that look before. And the kissing... </span>
  </em>
  <span>Then Tobio suddenly sat up and looked him square in the face, “wait, do you want that?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga dropped his hand and gazed back at his soulmate, his brain short-circuiting and running through scenario after scenario of explicit things he probably shouldn’t be imagining. He was completely mentally thrown by Tobio flat out asking him like that. Tooru started laughing airily, seemingly unfazed, his hand still making comforting little patterns on Suga’s back. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kou-chan, even stopped in your tracks like that, you’re incredibly alluring. Somehow, I’m not surprised.” Tooru said with an unmistakably flirty tone and gazed at him, clearly waiting for some kind of retort. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“R-really?” Suga said, hushed, still not quite back on track.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mmhm, I really like this look..” Tobio answered this time, leaning forward across Tooru’s outstretched legs, and gently pressed their lips together. The only thing Suga could think to do while being pulled along with the momentum was to respond in kind, kissing him back.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0032"><h2>32. OT</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Tooru slowed down to a stop, his breathing hard and ragged. Shivering a bit, he stretched his arms up over his head to get a good pull at his tensed shoulder muscles. It was a brisk morning, the second day of spring nationals. He swung his arms around side to side to loosen up then took a few laps around a park bench before settling down on it and wrestling his phone from his pocket. It already had the event queued and live streaming. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He had watched day one by himself too, in his room alone while he quietly cheered on his soulmates’ team. They defeated their first opponent, though he was surprised by how long it took Tobio to adjust to the high gym ceiling and bright lights; and he had caught the tail end of the warm-ups that were shown here and there and totally spotted Chibi-chan not warming up and hopping around barefoot instead. Tooru had squinted at his screen to see if he really saw the shorty messing around on the court without shoes, but the camera angle had changed and he couldn’t confirm what he’d thought he’d seen. It took them halfway through the set for Tobio to get his act together, and once he did, he adopted a cool, calm, yet intense sort of presence which left Tooru gaping at his computer screen. He had wondered to himself where this sort of attitude came from, since the last time they spoke about it, Tobio was concerned about being called ‘goody two shoes’; and his presence during that first match definitely didn’t look like an obliging ‘goody two shoes’. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He listened to the commentators for a minute through his earbuds talk about the next match with Karasuno high and Inarizaki high, which was the match he was most interested in watching and wouldn’t miss. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Well Tobio-chan, Kou-chan, what will you make of the top setter in the nation for our age group? I hope Tobio adjusted well enough to the gym yesterday.. it sure seemed like it. I can’t believe that guy was flirting with you and you didn’t realize it..</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Right off the bat that flirty setter, Miya, nailed a powerful serve. Tooru scowled at the theatrics afterwards, having watched Miya silence the crowd with his hand before he served. He couldn’t decide if he was disgusted at the power of the serve, the glaringly obvious talent, the knowledge that the guy had his eyes on Tobio, or maybe just a mishmash of all of it that made him sneer at his phone screen contemptuously. He huffed and glanced up, spotting a passerby giving him a suspicious look as they picked up their pace. Tooru just scoffed to himself again and listened as the commentators started chatting idly about how both teams’ setters were invited to the all japan youth training camp and how Tobio was starting to gain some solid attention this tournament. That line of conversation struck up some harsh memories for Tooru and he reflected that since he never made it to nationals because of Ushiwaka and Shiratorizawa, he wouldn’t have a chance to gain that level of attention very easily, even in college. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru glanced back down to his phone, and watched as Tobio set a ball beautifully to Chibi-chan who jumped like his feet were spring-loaded. But he didn’t swing his arm at the ball, despite the perfect positioning and landed back down on those springy feet with a thump looking completely defeated. Tobio strode right up next to him in a few steps and was clearly saying something while looking absolutely murderous. The tv crew’s tech couldn’t pick up what was being said, but Tooru could imagine it was probably something really colorful after a stunt like that. A second later, his soulmate walked back into position and glared across the net looking spaced out but with a menacing smirk lighting up his face. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ooh scary! Come on camera crew, show the bench! I wanna see what Kou-chan thinks of that play!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru continued to watch, getting slightly more chilled by the minute but completely entranced by the game. Both teams were pretty scrappy and while he knew Tobio and Hinata’s menagerie of monster attacks were a nightmare to deal with, Inarizaki and the Miya twins were easily able to put up a fair fight. Plus, it seemed like there was a setter feud going on as well like Miya and Tobio were duking it out with the spikers and middle blockers at their command. Tooru realized that he was thoroughly impressed with Tobio’s growth in such a short time and it forced him to come face to face with the idea that his tattoo was candid; Tobio was a king. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A few minutes later, Tooru jolted up off the bench and pumped his fist in the air, “yeah! Go Captain-chan!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He got a few strange looks, but he didn’t care at the moment. Instead, he analyzed Tobio’s brilliant baiting techniques. Tobio had sent the ball flying across the middle where Hinata was positioned for a back-row attack, but the ball went right past him to Daichi-chan. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Damn Tobio, so you know what it looks like from the other side too? You baited them on purpose because you knew that it would look like you were giving the ball to Chibi-chan! How clever.. ugh, your skills and game sense are disgusting.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then something questionable happened. He could have sworn he just witnessed Miya and his twin brother pull off the exact same freak-quick attack that Tobio and Hinata used. Tooru plopped back down and squinted at his phone, bringing it up to his face like it would magically magnify the players and their movements. Apparently, everyone saw what he saw and the commentators were having a field day with their chatter, but Tooru’s eyes were glued on Tobio’s face. He was just as impassive as ever, though Chibi-chan looked rightfully disturbed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The short stack was shut down only a few rallies later on his own freak-quick, and while he looked even more agonized than before, Tobio was cool as a cucumber. Tooru smirked as he watched their coach shout for them to calm down, despite Tobio’s blank face. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Seriously, you could freak out just a little.. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The set progressed pretty evenly and Tooru was enjoying watching Chibi-chan make some pretty amazing blocks, even though they looked like flukes. But his jaw dropped when he saw Tobio take off under the net, sprinting after a bumped serve from Daichi-chan. The ball was careening outside the court in a high arc and it looked like it was going to result in a service ace for Inarizaki, but Tobio clearly had other plans. He got under the ball and set it outside the pin markers on the net back to their Ace-chan, who smacked the ball down for a point. Everyone seemed to be cheering for the ace for his amazing spike, but Tooru just sat there and marveled at how well Tobio set that ball back to his teammate like he was threading a needle. Tooru grimaced at his phone, analyzing the last play in his mind. He couldn’t seem to shake the near awe that was starting to build in him for how far his soulmate had come in such a short amount of time. The net play brought the game to a deuce, and Tooru really started to wonder who was going to take the set. Inarizaki seemed like they were reacting pretty quickly to all of Karasuno’s bizarre offensive strategies and he frowned, realizing that if they didn’t take this first set, it was unlikely that they would win. Even Karasuno would run out of surprise offensive strategies at some point, which were definitely floating them through this game so far. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They pulled ahead though and Karasuno was in the lead. The camera finally lingered on the teams’ benches for a moment, displaying Kou-chan in all his glory. He was really riled up and shouting praise at Daichi-chan for a good save with a manic sort of excitement. Tooru laughed out loud at his crazy expression as he looked totally unhinged. Despite the crazy, he was glad to glimpse his other soulmate since he hadn’t been used yet in this game. He idly wondered if Koushi planned on playing volleyball in college or try to join a league; the conversation never really came up before which was kind of odd now that he thought about it. Maybe it was because Tobio and himself were overly into volleyball for the long haul that he never really considered the possibility that Koushi wouldn’t be.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In the next moment, Tooru was shaken from his reverie when Baldy-chan scored the winning point for Karasuno in an admittedly stellar cut shot. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Welp. They ended up taking it and running. I wonder what they’ll do with the second game now that they’ve seen how Inarizaki’s blockers were getting faster and faster by the end of that set. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What are you doing?” An all too familiar voice called out and Tooru looked up from his screen at the intruder to his privacy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, hi Iwa-chan.” Tooru greeted them and quickly looked back to see if he could catch any glimpses of his soulmates from the stream. After not seeing them since the crew was busy filming the commentators' chit chat about the first set, he glanced back up and realized Iwaizumi was staring him down instead of continuing on with his own jog, “what?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, for starters, you’re gonna get sick if you stay out here in the cold while sweaty.. you look like you were just jogging..” Iwaizumi was looking down his nose at him now like he was a monumental idiot, “don’t tell me you’ve decided this was the best place to watch nationals...”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru rolled his eyes at his best friend and looked away moodily, “I was just checking in.. they won the first set against Inarizaki and that Miya guy who was flirting with Tobio!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wow. For how much you wanted to avoid it a few months ago, you sure are attached to the soulmate deal, Trashykawa,” Iwa-chan smirked, still obviously judging every tiny detail of his interactions with Tobio. But Tooru couldn’t determine the reason why his friend cared so much about his budding relationships.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah.. well, I’ve come to see him in a new light..” Tooru replied, focusing back on his screen before adding nonchalantly, “and angles”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Stop right there. I don’t want to hear anything else that might come out of that garbage face of yours. Shut up.” Iwaizumi growled out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru just shrugged and grinned, now reminded of a few particularly entertaining moments with his soulmates. His expression must have relayed enough of his sordid elation because Iwaizumi scoffed in disgust and started to walk away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Where’re you goin’?” Tooru called out absently, not really caring either way.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not standing around here in the cold while you look that happy. That’s just too much for me.” Iwa-chan replied and looked back over his shoulder briefly before continuing on his way, “Don’t stay out here and catch a cold, idiot.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, yes, fine!” Tooru answered while waving his hand around dismissively. He didn’t bother watching his friend walk away as the second set had already started and Karasuno was being thoroughly plowed by the opposing team with Miya’s diverse and killer serves raking up the points.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Karasuno lost the second set. Tooru ended up staying perched on that park bench the whole time, completely drawn in by Inarizaki’s crazy plays and thorough lashing of Karasuno. The Miya twin setter whom Tooru already loathed was thrashing Nishinoya-chan with his jump float serves. This strategy in combination with the other Miya twin and his freaky ability to pick up any slack the other twin dropped, along with this rather willowy, flexible middle blocker that was giving Glasses-kun a hard time, was the nail in the coffin for Karasuno gaining any advantage during the set. Tooru finally got to see Koushi subbed into the game though, and it was kind of nice to be reminded of that infuriating, mood-stabilizing ability that he possessed and fully used on everyone. He had served a nasty, accurately placed ball that forced the opposing team’s ace to receive it. Unfortunately, Inarizaki scored the point for that rally and Koushi didn’t have the chance to target the ace again. He had felt frustrated too, wanting to see more of his soulmate’s graceful accuracy on the court; and frustrated in watching Koushi’s clear angst at being done so quickly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The third set started with a disgusting, swerving jump floater serve from that obnoxious Miya twin. But what had Tooru really riled up on that chilly park bench by himself was the look on Tobio’s face after the serve landed inside the court boundaries even after his teammates called ‘out’. The cameras managed to zoom in on the net and caught his expression; it was difficult to read in the flash of a moment it was displayed but he looked calm, angry, and ecstatic all in one, which was quite bizarre. He was almost smiling and he definitely looked exhilarated with bright, sharp eyes. Tooru scowled at his phone then looked away from his screen for a few seconds. After doing a ton of self-reflection in order to finally get on board with the soulmate thing, he recognized this feeling right away, jealousy. Tooru dropped his phone in his lap and hid his head in his hands while bending forward and leaning his elbows on his knees. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Argh how old am I?! Why am I getting jealous over Tobio looking so excited over another player’s skills? Obviously, he can be inspired by other people’s serves.. how did I become so enamored with the attention he gave me for mine? That’s a bad habit.. well shit, Iwa-chan was right.. I’m way more attached than I thought. I knew Koushi had me completely ensnared, but does Tobio as well? And I just didn’t realize it? What does that even mean? Do I really feel this deeply for them, or is it fake, cosmic manipulation? I just don’t know. I know that I can’t stand this Miya guy though.. at least I’m better looking, hah! </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He took a couple of slow, deep breaths and sat back up, bringing his phone back up to his face so he could see what he missed. Luckily, he tuned back in right as Tobio blocked Inarizaki’s ace completely by himself with perfect form, scoring a point for Karasuno. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Geh! What a monster..</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Begrudgingly, a few rallies later, Tooru had to acknowledge Miya’s skill as the top setter. The ball was off and very low so the setter sank down low like he was doing yoga with perfect posture and set the ball overhand. He could have dug the ball instead, but that would have made the play more obvious. His balance alone in that position with the swift motions it took to get exactly under the ball in the first place was very impressive. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Halfway through the set, Tobio slammed a sharp setters dump at that Miya twin, who bumped it to his brother. Tooru wondered idly who the all-rounder brother would send the ball too and was completely floored when he zipped it back to the setter Miya in a freak-quick. Tooru paused and sat up more in his seat, squinting at his phone. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Wow! Wait, which twin just set that? Did they just reverse their roles for the freak quick?! Who the hell are these guys?! Nasty! </span>
  </em>
  <span>The camera panned across various players and both Inarizaki and Karasuno looked similarly shocked. Even Tobio’s face showed moderate surprise with his mouth hanging open slightly; which was a huge contrast to his stoic, scary, determined expression he had firmly in place the entire game so far. The commentators were having a field day again for what felt like the zillionth time, chatting up the play boisterously like they had been on the court themselves. Tooru furrowed his eyebrows at his screen and frowned, wondering how Karasuno would counter that. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A few plays later and Karasuno was trailing behind Inarizaki by a few points. The rallies were going on for what seemed like forever over each and every point. It looked like Karasuno was starting to really feel the pressure, based on their serious, disgruntled expressions, but Chibi-chan pulled off an amazing dig of Inarizaki’s ace’s spike that seemed to boost morale despite not claiming the point. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Inarizaki got to twenty points first when Glasses-kun missed a set Tobio had sent to him. But they didn’t seem too derailed and caught up quickly to even the score with a surprising back row attack by Daichi-chan. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The next few rallies were just as long as previous ones, but time seemed to fly by as fast as the ball. Inarizaki was at match point and Tooru watched the ball zip back and forth across the next, each team keeping it alive. Both teams’ setters performed some spectacular tosses from the most awkward angles, like it really was a battle between setters and the spikers were just there to keep the ball in play. Tooru saw Tobio’s precise grace as he sent a beautifully arced ball right at the end of the court for Baldy-chan. The toss was so clean, perfect, and quiet yet it felt like a demand, screaming ‘this is for you, choose where to hit it. But you </span>
  <em>
    <span>will</span>
  </em>
  <span> hit it, I trust you to hit it’ and Tooru narrowed his eyes at his phone. Baldy-chan slammed the ball down in a super sharp line shot and Tobio brought his hands together calmly like he was simply finishing a meditation routine. It was perfect. A demanding, kingly, perfection of a play. Tooru stood up and yanked his headphones out, letting out an angry huff. Wiping his eyes briefly with his jacket sleeve, he noticed he startled some random family with his little outburst so he turned on heel and started jogging away. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m not freaking out. I’m just your average hot guy out for a jog. I will improve too, Tobio. I won’t just sit around and let you run right past me!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After only a minute he stopped and caught his breath, having ended up running all out for a decent stretch. He flopped down on a dry, grassy spot and pulled out his phone again, but abandoning the earbuds, to see if the game was over. He caught the tail end of Tobio’s cannon blast of a serve, winning a point for Karasuno and bringing the game to a deuce. He looked so unflappable, unstoppable, as he walked back to serve again. The next serve looked like it was going to be another powerful smash, but at the last millisecond, Tobio softly bumped the ball to target an unguarded spot upfront by the net. Inarizaki scrambled to save the ball after being completely taken in by Tobio’s hoax of a serve. They just barely saved it and the ball went flying back over to Karasuno. Tobio was already up front and magically under the ball, neatly setting it to Chibi-chan. The tiny middle blocker had taken flight and slammed the ball down the opposing court for a point. The whole exchange was so quick and precise that Inarizaki just couldn’t respond fast enough to keep up. Tooru hummed out loud, wondering how tired each player must be after going all out like that for three full sets. He knew Karasuno was full of stamina monsters, but this was starting to get ridiculous. Tobio’s serving was shut down during the next play, with Miya setting a great line shot for one of their wing spikers. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru sighed and put his headphones back in, immediately hearing the commentators waxing poetic about how talented these two setters were by controlling the game so fluidly all the way up until the end. He rolled his eyes, feeling that jealousy creeping back up again with the commentators’ extravagant opinions. Tooru blinked at his phone, surprised, as he watched Tobio’s toss during a particularly long rally come up a bit short; Chibi-chan literally kicked the ball after missing it with his hand and sent it over the net in a lazy lob. Everyone in the gymnasium seemed floored by Hinata’s mid-air antics, especially the commentators who were exclaiming random assumptions about the guy’s daily life again. Karasuno was now at match point.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It didn’t last long and Inarizaki overtook them with the setter Miya serving again. But Tobio and Chibi-chan broke their flow with speed and force right down the middle of the court using a quick attack. Tooru thought that his soulmate was going to smash right into his teammate, since he had jumped sideways so fast to set that ball. However, he missed him by just a little bit and landed safely. Hinata was instantly cheering at his scored point while Tobio stared him down, actually smiling. The expression was slightly on the threatening side, but lit up his face handsomely. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ah.. he’s having a blast right now.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Karasuno was at match point again, but fumbled to keep the ball in the air after a nasty attack from Inarizaki. Daichi-chan bodily threw himself after the ball and bumped it over the net, but Miya got his hands on it and could send it to several different players who were approaching quickly. Tooru watched with his eyes glued to the screen as Tobio and Chibi-chan leaped into the air to block a freak-quick attack they must have sensed was coming on monster instinct alone. The ball ricocheted off their splayed hands and flew back to Inarizaki’s side, bouncing lightly on their court. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The whistle blew and the gymnasium went crazy in a loud cacophony of sounds, cheering, jeering, and voices. Tooru nearly took his earbuds out with all the ruckus, but he was easily distracted by the camera's new shot; zooming in on all of Karasuno’s players running into the middle of the court and surrounding Tobio and Hinata. He saw Kou-chan wrap an arm around each of them with tears streaming down his pretty face. Koushi was obviously shouting something into their ears, but he couldn’t hear it despite the cameras being so close with all the surrounding noise. The camera only stayed on all of them for a moment before bouncing around to show other reactions, the defeated team, and back to the commentators.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru smiled and got up off the grass, brushing off his joggers. He turned on a random running music playlist and pocketed his phone. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Keep flying, you crazy crows.</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0033"><h2>33. KT</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Milk again? You sure that’ll be alright before the next match?” Suga’s voice suddenly filled the air, startling Tobio briefly. He just bought a milk carton from the vending machine in the lobby of the sports complex. Karasuno was on a long break after their nationals match against Nekoma, and the team members were resting, eating lunch, or watching other matches taking place in the complex at their leisure. The match against Nekoma was grueling, since Nekoma was the epitome of ground defense, and Karasuno the masters of air offense. They had won the match, and Tobio was pretty satisfied with their gameplay. Everyone on his team spent the majority of their time leaping wholeheartedly into the air for the chance to hit the ball. Despite nearly all of their spikes and serves being dug immediately resulting in super long and tricky rallies, they managed to stay aggressive. Hinata had literally improved his receiving skills and jump height during the game, which Tobio took note of for later use. Nishinoya-san had also made some amazing saves and even corrected his form based on the feedback Tobio gave him from the Datekou practice match. Azumane-san was getting more and more accurate with his serves, spike timing, and spiking variations. Sawamura-san was just as reliable on defense as ever and could bump nearly everything that Nishinoya-san could, including powerful serves. Tanaka-san was becoming more aware of his surroundings on the court and sharpening up his line shots and cut shots. Even Tsukishima was maintaining his improved contact height with the ball by really flying after it, without complaints. Although Tobio distinctly remembered getting the stink eye a few times after particularly high tosses to the guy. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh. Yeah, it’ll be fine. There’s still a good amount of time until the next match. Did you sleep?” Tobio answered, snagging his milk box out of the machine and turning towards his soulmate. Suga was leaning casually against the machine, arms crossed and smiling blindingly at him. He shook his head in answer.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We won!” Suga said after a beat, grinning.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We did.” Tobio smiled in return, then held out his arms softly, welcoming Suga if he was interested. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga laughed lightly and nearly skipped over like he was being pushed along by a wave of pure energy. Tobio caught him with a ‘oomph’ escaping briefly then held him, hiding his face in his neck. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It must have tickled a little because Suga laughed again, then said conspiratorially, “hey! Watch it! You know we’re in the lobby right? This place is packed.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio huffed and placed a very discreet kiss along Suga’s neck before pulling away to a more casual distance and took a sip of his milk. Suga rolled his eyes at him, but then he grinned all the same.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That ‘four’, in the center of the court you set for Hinata... I was really shocked.” Suga said quietly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah.. I didn’t know if he’d even be able to hit it, but I wanted to shake up the game. Kozume-san is really talented.. I was annoyed at how he was leading around my players like that,” Tobio scoffed and frowned into his milk, “seriously, who plans ahead </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>much to use every one of your opponents' lanes and approaches to mess up one Shrimpy? I don’t understand how they’re friends. It was fun though.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well.. Hinata certainly is a presence to be reckoned with,” Suga smiled absently back at him, like he was lost in thought, “I know he spoke to Kamomedai’s ‘little giant’.. do you think it’ll be alright?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes. He was more toned down than I thought he’d be, but he seems just as determined as ever.” Tobio replied, simply.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oya? What’s happening over here now? Victory drinks?” Kuroo-san had spotted them and waltzed over, eyeing the pair of them while also checking out the contents of the vending machine.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yo, Tetsurou-kun! That was a really great game! No one was gonna give in!” Suga greeted happily, while Tobio shifted out of the way and closer to Suga to give Kuroo-san room to use the machine. He naturally found himself gliding his hand along Suga’s lower back and resting it around his waist.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nope, I kept hoping you guys would, but it never happened. Do you guys run on batteries or something? Or maybe just charge each other up?” He glanced at them and smirked before looking back at the selection displayed and choosing his drink, “I knew you guys were soulmates, a little crow told me. Didn’t realize you were this close though. Kinda bizarre to witness it first hand. You don’t give it away during games or practices really...”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio just blinked at him, unsure if he really needed to say anything to that, as it wasn’t Kuroo-san’s business. Suga, however, just laughed heartily and responded, “hah! I know you’ll adjust quickly, you always do! Meet yours yet?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hm? Nah. Great mystery of the universe for me so far. We’ll see eventually!” Kuroo-san replied airily, grabbing his beverage and grinning at them. Tobio shifted his eyes to Kuroo-san’s armband briefly, but it was snugly in place around his bicep, half-hidden by his jersey sleeve and whatever was underneath was completely obscured.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s it-“ Suga began, but didn’t get to finish.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You guys rest up yet?” Sawamura-san came up to them, looking somewhat tired like he’d just woken up from a nap, but ready to go. He glanced around at the three of them then eyed Suga suspiciously, “Suga, I really hope you’re not stirring the pot here somehow.. with who knows what..”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Me?! I wouldn’t do such a thing!” Suga replied hotly, but he was smiling like he was holding onto a secret and his tongue could slip any second. Tobio wondered idly what he was thinking, but Suga just continued in a honeyed tone, eyeing Kuroo-san, “besides, how could I possibly stir harder than the provocation master himself? I’d need one hell of a spoon..”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sawamura-san furrowed his brows at Suga, looking like he was about to put together a thesis level argument about the blasé claims his friend made. Tobio smiled and let out a small laugh, turning his head and looking away, but the smile still lingered. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kuroo-san peered at them all for a moment then smiled genuinely, “you guys are always so interestin’. I’m sure next year will be pretty damn entertaining! Looking forward to it! Anyway, I gotta go find Kenma. Good luck with the seagulls, we’re going to stay and watch!” He waved the drink around in the air as a goodbye and sauntered off. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga called out a quick, “aw thanks! ‘Bye!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Next year?” Tobio asked quietly, looking to Suga for some insight into what Kuroo-san meant.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh! Just some pre-college planning, we can talk about it later after nationals, ‘kay?” Suga smiled back at Tobio and spun around to wrap his arms around him. Tobio nodded vaguely, and gave him a big, encompassing hug, squeezing his soulmate comfortably. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sawamura-san cleared his throat and gave them both a stern look then gestured mildly around, like he was reminding them of their surroundings. Tobio glanced around blankly, realizing that they were getting a few looks here and there from people passing by. He didn’t really care, as it wasn’t their business, but he didn’t want to be a burden to Suga in any way. He let go and said, “I guess we should get ready for the match, the court should be free soon, right?..”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga just smiled and nodded happily. He looked like he was mulling things over in his head or maybe stuck on a thought, but he wasn’t forthcoming with whatever it was. Tobio decided to just lead the way and started off towards the court, Suga and Sawamura-san following along. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Only a short time later, the game taking place on the court ended and it was Karasuno’s turn to take it up. They walked onto the court to begin warm-ups when Tanaka-san’s sister, Saeko-san, called out to Hinata from the stands saying something about Karasuno’s ‘little giant’ being there. Tobio saw Hinata’s whole existence practically light up like the sun and it was blinding. He squinted at him as if he really was glowing and followed him and Saeko-san out into the lobby of the sports complex. Standing back quietly, he watched as Hinata excitedly talked to this short guy with long, curly black hair. Tobio knew Hinata droned on about wanting to be the ace on the team, the new ‘little giant’; and that he was inspired by some match with a guy who was called that nickname from Karasuno years ago, but he didn’t recognize this guy at all. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Yeah, I have no idea who this guy is...</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The old ‘little giant’ and Hinata talked for a few minutes and Tobio checked out a bit, wanting to focus on their upcoming game. He did overhear something about the guy not playing volleyball anymore and he raised his eyebrows slightly, wondering why a player with supposedly excellent skills stopped playing right after high school. Tobio looked around briefly, feeling time starting to get away from them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, we’ve gotta go,” Tobio said, and bowed to the group of people Hinata was talking with then started to head back to the court. Hinata followed and they made it in time to hear the captain shout that it was time to get on the court for the game.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey Kageyama,” Hinata called out to him looking somewhat contemplative, “it’s weird. I’m not really disappointed at all.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“About time..” Tobio replied and got into position on the court. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He should really work on aspiring to be his own type of player, not try to be someone else.. if he wanted, he really could be the greatest decoy, like I’ve already told him.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The warm-ups started moments later and Tobio sighed, Tsukishima and Hinata were bickering about the opposing teams’ six and a half foot middle blocker. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know him! He’s the guy who bumped into me on day one and didn't even notice!” Hinata complained.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He probably couldn’t see you all the way down there.” Tsukishima snarked, “it’s difficult to apologize to someone when you don’t even realize they exist, you know...”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Damnit Tsukishima! You’d better watch the back of your head when I’m up to serve!” Hinata growled out, hackles raised.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You already have enough issues with your terrible serves.. now you’re going to miss deliberately?” Tsukishima deadpanned.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Make sure all your crap, wiffleball serves are inbounds, you idiot!” Tobio added, sternly. They couldn’t afford Hinata to purposely miss, even if he was just saying that to try to intimidate Tsukishima. Tobio didn’t know why he even bothered, it wasn’t like Tsukishima would be threatened by Shrimpy’s flimsy serves anyway.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How come I’m the one getting yelled at?!” Hinata squawked angrily. But Tobio just huffed and walked away to set balls for warm-ups.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The match began soon after, and it was off to a usual start for Karasuno. Tobio immediately sent a quick to Hinata who slammed it down for a point. Tobio knew that Kamomedai’s blockers would specifically watch out for their quick attack and try to stop them right away, but he sent the ball to Hinata anyway. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Shrimpy always slams the first one. Now they’ll know that we won’t back down.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio walked to the back of the court to serve and twirled the ball in his hands for a second. He tossed it, ran, jumped, and drove the ball to the other side of the court. Unfortunately, the other team was prepared and they received the serve. It was sent to their ace, Hoshiumi-san, that small wing spiker Tobio had met at the all japan youth training camp. The small fry was still taller than Hinata, Tobio noted, and smashed the ball over their poorly timed block to score. Tobio scowled minutely, but kept his outward composure despite being irritated that his serving time was cut off immediately. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The match progressed evenly and Kamomedai’s blockers were already so close to being able to block their super fast quick. But Tobio knew that would happen quickly as they were going up against one of the best blocking teams in the tournament. It seemed like they were better than Datekou and Nekoma combined. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I wonder when they’ll shut it down completely. How many more points will we take before that happens? One, two?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio was pleased his team was playing as aggressively and stubbornly as usual, regardless of the supremely good blockers and tiny ace on the other side of the net. A moment later, Tobio was shaken out of his reflective trance when Hoshiumi-san leapt into the air with such force that his feet audibly made noise while kicking off the ground. Tsukishima lowly muttered timing instructions to block his hit and they successfully shut it down together. Tobio glanced at Hoshiumi-san and noticed he was clearly peeved at being shut out, but since they had their own small guy blasting around like a rocket all the time, Karasuno was used to it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It looks like Hoshiumi-san surprise time is over too. We won’t be led around by that either.” Tobio commented to him, smiling at Hoshiumi-san’s incredulous expression since it reminded him of a look Tooru and Hinata gave him sometimes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hoshiumi-san just stared at him with that angsty look for a moment longer before exclaiming, “I only half-get what you just said, but whatever it meant, don’t give it a stupid name like that!” Then he looked back towards the next server. Tobio shrugged and looked towards the next server as well, ready to shut down more of this ‘little giant’s’ spikes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The game was continuing on evenly, with Kamodemai pulling ahead by one point when Tobio realized they were changing their blocking strategy depending on the current player rotation. Since Hinata was out of this rotation and himself, Tsukishima, and Asahi-san were in the front row, so they would have a strong left side for attacking, but limited to no right side or back row attacks. It was obvious that the opposing team was purposefully blocking the left side, so Tobio quickly set the ball to Tsukishima for a center attack. He was taken aback momentarily when the blockers were quick enough to shuffle over and shut out Tsukishima’s spike. The tall blonde didn’t look phased, but Tanaka-san told him to ‘shake it off’ anyway. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tsukishima just turned towards Tobio and sneered at him while saying, “hey, your majesty.. Quit running away.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio stared back at him blankly for a beat or two, really processing what the blonde had said. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Running away? Running away?! How the fuck am I running away?</span>
  </em>
  <span> His face morphed into a ghoulish, menacing, disbelieving glare, “say what? You talking to me!?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I was just checking to be sure, geez..” Tsukishima replied lightly, seemingly unfazed. Tanaka was laughing and Tobio thought he heard him make a comment too, but he missed it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Whoa whoa! Take a breather, guys!” Tobio heard Suga call out from the sidelines, clearly aimed at him, but he couldn’t bring himself to look over. He did notice Hoshiumi-san peer over curiously in Suga’s direction, like he was placing where he’d seen him before, but Tobio didn’t really feel the need to draw attention to his relationship during a volleyball game.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He couldn’t let that remark go though, and got revenge by tossing a nastily precise ball to Tsukishima for a center attack again in the very next play. Despite the spike getting them a point, Tsukishima looked irritated, like he hadn’t meant to rile up Tobio against himself. Tobio just glared back at him hauntingly, daring him to say something that was baseless about his volleyball plays again. He straightened up and glanced around to take in his players' conditions. Some of his teammates were looking back at him with strained, unbelieving expressions, but he didn’t care. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What? Asshole beanpole asked for it, so he got it. He scored too, no need to look at me like that. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He caught Suga’s eyes then, and saw him standing there gazing back at him with a somewhat unreadable expression. His hands were on his hips and he was tilting his head slightly like he was trying to solve a problem. When he realized Tobio was looking back at him, he grinned and gave a cutesy thumbs-up. Tobio raised his eyebrows and smiled for a second, then dropped it and turned back to the net, not wanting to get distracted by his boyfriend’s antics. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The rest of the set felt like it went by in a blink of the eye. Hinata made an amazing sideways jump and the blockers clearly followed him for once, so Tobio sent the ball to Asahi-san for a back-row attack right behind him. However, their six and a half foot middle blocker jumped twice and shut Asahi-san out, scoring the winning point for Kamomedai. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio reflected on the set to himself, standing around with everyone while they took a brief break and discussed what they could do to counter Kamomedai’s amazing blocks. </span>
  <em>
    <span>We need to figure out how to escape these guys and open up our attacking lanes..</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He started musing on potential plays when he heard Tsukishima say grimly, “ugh, another game to full sets?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga sprang over to the guy and gleefully smacked him on the back, “whoa whoa whoa! What’s this? Thinking about set three already? That gung-ho to get out there and win set two, huh?” Suga looked utterly delighted, his voice light and lilting, “heck! Acting like we’ve practically won it already?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Eh? No, I didn’t mean it like-“ Tsukishima tried to deny, then paused, looking suspiciously back at Suga, “please, don’t.. anything but that. No. Stop.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You sound just like Hinata!” Suga sang out triumphantly, completely steamrolling through Tsukishima’s despair.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ugggghhh... that is so depressing,” Tsukishima responded quietly, slouching over like the mental effort was much too heavy. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Excuse me?! Rude!” Hinata shrieked, clearly offended by Tsukishima’s judgments. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio walked over to Suga and bumped his shoulder, giving him a small smile. Suga just beamed back like he was still elated from teasing Tsukishima into depression. Tobio really appreciated his chaotic energy sometimes, and innate ability to bring a balanced mood to his team even if he wasn’t often on the court himself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey you, don’t start fights with Tsukishima on the court during a game..” Suga scolded him, giving his arm a soft smack.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He told me to quit running away.” Tobio deadpanned.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga looked back at him and smirked, “hmmm? Provoked so easily? You know we, the setters, control the game.” Suga winked at him then turned his attention to Coach Ukai and the others who were starting to talk strategy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio stared after him for a moment before tuning in and hearing Hinata say, “yeah! If we’d slid that last shot over a bit, it would have scored!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t get started on shoulda-woulda-coulda stuff. You’ll never stop.” Yamaguchi put in bluntly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, that’s not what I mean!” Hinata protested.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He’s saying attacking from the same slot is too risky,” Tobio answered, taking a sip of water.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh!” Azumane-san exclaimed, then continued, “we’ve done the ‘back row attacker hides behind front row attacker and pops out’ kind of thing before.. and usually it meant a score for us, but this time it didn’t work. That’s because we’re facing a guy who can jump twice and still be in time to block! From where he’s standing, he was probably thinking ‘wow thanks for staying in the same slot where I can reach!’ That’s how it went, right?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio nodded while Sawamura-san said, “yeah. We’re going to have to pay more attention to not just the speed of the attack, but it’s width too now..”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yep, exactly. That last block was a splash of cold water, yeah, but once you figure out how and why they got us, it’s not so scary.” Coach Ukai added while some of his teammates nodded in agreement, “Kamomedai’s blockers are good. It’d be ideal if you could split them up and peel them off our attackers, but it’s not that easy. However, they aren’t robots. They’re human just like us. Use plays that have lots of attackers coming from lots of directions. Give their blockers too much information to process.. and you’ll start stressing them out. Tiring them, and that will lead to mistakes. There are times when you feel helpless... no matter what you do, it has no effect. That gets you wondering if what you’re doing has any point at all, right? But for this game, at least, today that is not the case. You are doing something. Let’s not let set two be a repeat of set one! We’re going to switch up our rotation a bit.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio twirled the ball in his hands, waiting for the whistle to serve. It was the first serve of the second set and he was planning on blasting it at Hoshiumi-san. The whistle blew and he followed through. The small guy dug the ball okay, although it did look like he got too knocked off his balance to be able to run up for an attack. The rally ended with a point going to Kamomedai, and Tobio frowned, once again irritated that his serving time was cut off.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He didn’t let any particular mood linger, and just focused on sending perfect, consistent tosses to his hitters. Hinata sprinted along the entire width of the court for a super-wide slide shot and Tobio sent the ball his way. He easily scored them a point, as the opposing blockers were still committed to the left side and couldn’t even remotely keep up with the shrimp. Tobio silently noted this play, knowing they’d had to repeat the process and keep their lead. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hoshiumi-san served the ball next, slamming it over to Nishinoya-san who received it with little resistance and sent it perfectly to the setter position. Tobio saw Shrimpy sprinting all out towards the net with a scary sort of determination and Azumane-san was also approaching the net quickly looking ready to slam a ball. Either option would be good to go with and the blockers across the net almost looked like they were reeling with anticipation to jump when they saw any slight motion Tobio would make to show who the ball would go to. In utter clarity, he went with the best option, and smoothly tipped the ball over the net himself. The ball innocently fell with a light thump right behind their tallest middle blocker and Tobio caught the varied looks of angry astonishment on their faces. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ah, those points really are the best!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hinata turned to him looking completely miffed and grumbled out through gritted teeth, “hey! what’d ya do that for? That totally felt like a ‘and I get the ball’ kind of moment!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Exactly.” Tobio replied, leering back at him menacingly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Geh!” Hinata squeaked out, looking angry and spooked all in one go. Tobio nearly laughed at the sight, but rolled his eyes and got back into position for the next serve.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The game was moving along evenly again, but this time Karasuno was maintaining a small one or two-point lead. Hinata’s wide slide attacks continued to get through their ensnaring walls, and their serves overall slowly started to throw the other team off balance like Coach Ukai suggested, just a little bit at a time. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Halfway through the set and Tobio was happy to be up to serve again. He peered across the net, while twirling the ball in his hands for a moment, deciding on the best move. Kamomedai’s tallest player was clearly being protected from Tobio’s serve as he was hanging in the back of the court surrounded by other teammates. Obviously, he hadn’t been playing volleyball that long and used his height to make up for it. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He probably wouldn’t be able to bump my serves.. you can’t hide from it.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio tossed the ball into the air and chased it, jumping and swinging his arm around with force as if he would cram the ball down the opposing teams’ throats. But instead, he softly bonked the ball forward, carefully aiming straight at that tall number ten. The guy was visibly confused at the ball suddenly lobbing right to him, and he hollered “mine!” but didn’t move to receive the ball. It landed with a thump right inside the court lines, scoring Karasuno a point and Tobio his first service ace of the set. Kamomedai stood around the spot in mild shock at their error and started arguing loudly about being lured into not receiving the ball. Tobio flashed a smile towards Suga on the sidelines, pleased that his trap worked out. Suga was just standing there with his hands on his thighs, doubled over in laughter. A couple of his other teammates looked on incredulously at Tobio like they were seeing his true self for the first time. Tobio scoffed and snagged another ball to serve. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What’s that look for? I serve to score, always. I don’t have to smash it if I don’t want to.. Besides, if trying to target their weakness this way might score us points, of course I would try it out.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He fired his next serve off like a cannon right at Hoshiumi-san who bumped it, but toppled over in the process, unable to approach for an attack. They spiked it across, but Karasuno picked it up and Tanaka-san sent the ball to Azumane-san. The ace spiked it harshly, but was shut out again. Tobio analyzed the rally for a second, calculating all the plays in his head so far, and realized that Azumane-san had been targeted repeatedly and shut down at least four times in a row now. Tobio quickly assessed his condition, and he seemed like he was in good form and not too tired, but his expression did read a bit depressing. Tobio was thinking of what he could say to his teammate, or maybe do, to help him out of that mood, when Coach called for a time out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luckily, Sawamura-san got there first and started having the most bizarre pep talk with Azumane-san that Tobio had ever heard. He just watched as Suga jumped in on the conversation too, the three of them bickering at this point about cheering people up or something. He decided to stay out of it. The break ended and Tobio decided to just fully use Hinata to score from the back row, bringing the two teams to a tie. He stewed on the fact that Azumane-san needed to break through and soon. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’ll just keep sending him the ball. I trust him, he’ll get through with enough opportunity.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yo! What are you two doing, letting those first years steal all the glory?! Quit it now!” Suga suddenly shouted from the sidelines, striking a ridiculous pose like an evil overlord or something. Tobio gazed across the court at him, a small smile creeping onto his face at the sight of his silly soulmate. He laughed to himself and got back into position, waiting on the next serve. A few of his teammates were giving him strange looks, and the Kamomedai players across the net were looking at him apprehensively. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh what now..? Because I laughed at Suga? I keep telling them I know how to laugh, geez. Focus on the game, seriously.. </span>
  </em>
  <span>but he didn’t really care what the others thought, it didn’t really matter. He was feeling relaxed and ready to take this set. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A few plays later, and they were still maintaining a tie with Kamomedai. Azumane-san still hadn’t scored, but Tobio tossed to him anyway. He even shot several quicks to the center for Tsukishima to hit while Shrimpy was out of the rotation, despite the blonde always looking both pleased and disturbed by his sets. When Tsukishima rotated to the back row to serve, Tobio heard the whistle for a player substitution and saw Suga move to switch with Tsukishima. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tonight we dine on ginger pork!” Suga exclaimed valiantly as he walked onto the court and grabbed a ball to serve. Tobio huffed a small laugh again, hiding it in his elbow and pretending to cough as to avoid any stray looks from others. But Kamomedai just stared across the net skeptically, like they had no idea how to interpret Suga in the slightest. Hoshiumi-san was even full-on squinting at Suga like he was an optical illusion, and Tobio had no clue how to interpret that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, really?!” Hinata chimed in, bouncing around a bit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, not really. I just made that up.” Suga smiled back at him genially, while the shrimp looked back at him, clearly disappointed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then Suga turned to Tobio, “hey, that quick set was awesome. Good one!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thanks,” Tobio replied quietly, focusing a little too much on Suga’s graceful way of walking as he got closer. He shook stray thoughts from his head and continued using a hushed tone, “their number six was seriously starting to tick me off, getting in the way of our quick sets... so I wanted to zing one right over his stupid head the first chance I got.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, right.. you get like that sometimes..” Suga said back, more so to himself. Tobio raised his eyebrows in question, but Coach Ukai started shouting something encouraging sounding like ‘let’s keep picking away at them!’ but he wasn’t sure since he was still stuck watching Suga’s face. The latter looked contemplative for a moment, then turned to face everyone else, surveying them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You guys better be ready, ‘cause Tobio and I are gonna keep making you hit until you score. Got it?” Suga said to them, smiling pleasantly. Hinata looked pumped at the idea, while the others laughed it off, looking wary. It was strikingly obvious that Suga meant it, and it came off as both encouraging and threatening at the same time.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga served the ball neatly to Hoshiumi-kun, forcing him to receive it and taking him out of the picture for an attack. Then they got a clean deflection off of the tall Kamomedai spiker’s hit and Suga bumped the ball to Tobio. He set it in a high, beautiful arc to Azumane-san, who looked in perfect form flying through the air like he was about to blast it downward. However, he slowed his swing at the last second and softly knocked the ball up and over the blockers. Tobio watched it fall, undisturbed, and bounce a few times off the court right behind the blockers who looked rightfully shocked. Tobio smirked and watched silently as his teammates celebrated the point, Hinata and Tanaka-san shouting about how they thought Azumane-san was going to slam that ball. Tobio finally felt satisfied as everyone seemed like they were in great condition, despite it being the last half of the second set. He watched Suga walk over to serve again, almost seeing how the other’s mind was working to calculate an appropriate attack.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In true Suga form, he served right to Hoshiumi-san again, perfectly accurate and taking him out of the running for an attack. However the resulting rally just never let up, going back and forth with Azumane-san and Hinata pounding the ball at Kamomedai repeatedly. They stubbornly kept digging the ball and sending in spikers, but Karasuno wouldn’t give in either. Finally, Suga got under a deflected ball and set a nice, easy, high toss for Azumane-san and he leaped after it, hovering in midair with his perfect spiking form like he was on a magazine cover. He smashed the ball downwards on a slight delay, and it dribbled down between the opposing blockers and the net, scoring Karasuno a point.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The next rally ended up being really short as Suga’s serve was received by the opposing team’s libero who jumped in front of Hoshiumi-san so he wouldn’t be taken out of the running for potential attackers. The ‘little giant’ slammed the ball down and it rebounded nastily off of Suga’s arms. Tobio felt a little bummed for a moment that Suga would be subbed back out for Tsukishima now. On the other hand, watching him play had become somewhat distracting. Not that it had affected his gameplay, but seeing Suga’s gracefulness on the court so close up was a little mesmerizing. He idly wondered if others felt that way about his soulmate too, or if it was just him tangled up in that net. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Play continued and Tobio glimpsed Hinata sprinting full out around him to the center of the court, then heard feet pound off the floor. He caught Hinata’s eyes which were so demanding it was almost intimidating, and zipped the ball to him effortlessly; although he did have to adjust the trajectory slightly for the extra height Hinata gained from his hard jump. The Shrimp was already so high in the air, possibly the highest he’d ever been during a match and he smacked the ball down before the blockers could even fully get their arms all the way into position. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hinata landed with a soft thump and immediately turned on Tobio, snagging his forearms, “the ball! The ball was there! It was really there! How do you do that?! Are your hands magic?!” Hinata looked completely manic in his excitement and his hands felt boiling hot on Tobio’s skin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ugh! Quit that!” Tobio griped and yanked his arms free. Hinata was usually pretty excitable, but this extreme level seemed a little off. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe it’s just because we did the super quick with the super jump.. why are his hands so hot? Calm down, idiot! </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio could understand the excitement though as now they were at set point. Just one more point and they would take the set. The next rally was pretty grueling and it was obvious that both teams were fighting with their all to score the next point. It ended with Tobio and Tsukishima jumping to block Hoshiumi-san, who looked like he was going to smash the ball through their hands. At the last moment, Tsukishima moved his hand out of the way while midair and falling just as Hoshiumi-san attempted to tool the block by purposely hitting the ball off his fingers. Since the beanpole’s hand miraculously disappeared, Hoshiumi-san ended up smacking the ball hard towards the back end of the court, out of bounds. Karasuno scored off Tsukishima’s swift dodge and won the set. Tobio’s mind was reeling as he tried to figure out how Tsukishima would know to move his hand at that moment instead of trying to shut out Hoshiumi-san’s attack. </span>
  <em>
    <span>How the hell did he figure that out? Would he tell me if I asked?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The team gathered around the benches, and Tobio watched Tsukishima plop down to rest. Everyone else seemed too excited by their win to settle down yet, but swarmed Tsukishima all the same to get answers.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Bro! Were you waiting to do that all game?! Dude..Talk about terrifying!” Tanaka-san exclaimed, while Hinata grumbled out stammered accusations about who knows what.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How did you know to do it?” Tobio asked bluntly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nishinoya-san interjected, “holy crap! You did that one on purpose?!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Everyone, how about you sit down and rest, like you’re supposed to,” Tsukishima replied, looking absolutely exhausted from the combination of the game and the added struggle of dealing with everyone mobbing him. Tobio scoffed and took a seat along with the others, distinctly hearing Suga laughing airily from where he was standing next to Sawamura-san and saying something about ‘ravenous crows’.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hinata suddenly slumped on the bench next to him, looking a tiny bit tired for once, but he straightened up and turned to look at him, “hey, Kageyama, have you noticed it yet?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio turned his head to look at the small fry, but didn’t say anything. Hinata peered back at him and continued, unperturbed by his silence, “right now, we’re getting ready to play our sixth set today!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hinata seemed to pause for dramatic effect and Tobio just raised his eyebrows slightly, deciding on whether or not it was worth it to keep listening to his rambling. The shrimp continued regardless, “no, you don’t have to say it. I know. I’m not going to argue that winning in straight sets isn’t better.. and I do play my best every time, trying to help us win in straight sets. I really do. But you know.. if we played two games and won both in straight sets, we’d only get to play four sets. Heck, even in best of five game, we’d only get to play at most a total of five sets.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio just stared at him, having no idea why he was going on about this then looked away and took a long sip of water. He listened as Tanaka-san piped up while grinning, “you just got totally ignored.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Somebody didn’t even bother thinking about it..” Yamaguchi commented while passing by the bench. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course not.. formulating a comeback, especially for that sort of utter lunacy, requires far more calories than it’s worth...” Tsukishima put in too, rubbing his eyes underneath his glasses.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio glanced around briefly, taking in everyone’s condition. They all seemed wiped out, but recuperating slowly during the break before the third set began. Hinata was staring off into space, and staying still for once. He didn’t seem to care that Tobio didn’t have a response to his thoughts. But Tobio just didn’t see why he needed any sort of answer, as it was obvious that winning in straight sets was better overall, but being able to play all six sets was really fun because of the extra time on the court. He wasn’t sure why Shrimpy was thinking of things like that right now though, and Tobio was really starting to wonder why he seemed a little off and if it would affect his gameplay. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The referee signaled the start of the third set and Tobio was up to serve first. The ball felt good leaving his hand as he drove it across the net. Kamomedai barely received it, and a good rally started, but ultimately, the opposing team scored the first point. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Argh.. I just want to serve more than once per rotation! </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The next few rallies went really well, and Tobio noticed Hinata was in prime form, completely deceiving the blockers across the net with what attack he was going to use. The shrimp was flitting around the court like an annoying bee, buzzing in their ears and giving them the feeling of not knowing if he would sting them or not. He made several really good spikes with his antics and Tobio would maybe have to admit out loud that it was impressive. Instead, he settled for a few high fives for really good spikes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In the next play, Hinata used his super jump and leapt into the air with such conviction that he even managed to tempt the opposing blockers to move towards him slightly before the ball was even set. Tobio smirked to himself and immediately sent the ball to Tanaka-san on the left. He scored with a powerful spike a second later evening the score with Kamomedai. Hinata and Tanaka-san both shouted ‘yeah!’, elated with their success in that play. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Well, he finally got that stubborn blocker’s attention. I saw him shift towards Shrimpy before he saw where I’d set the ball. That’s pretty powerful..</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hinata looked across the net, then back to Tobio and said very seriously, “I think..if someone were to give me a nickname... I want to be called, ‘The Greatest Decoy’.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio looked back at him blankly, already knowing and having told this guy that he’d be the greatest decoy ever. It was obvious. Hinata continued talking after a beat while the whistle blew for a time out, “though to be honest, I don’t think I’ll ever think of myself as a decoy. Not ever in my whole life.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re still going on about that?” Tobio asked impassively, and started walking towards his water bottle by the benches, “I’ve been telling you from the start, idiot. The greatest decoy is the coolest nickname. Behind setter, that is.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Bro, setter isn’t a nickname..” Tanaka-san put in incredulously, but Tobio didn’t care and shrugged. Hinata looked irritated and contemplative all at once, then he turned to Hoshiumi-san, who was peering back at them with mild interest at their conversation.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh! Anyway, Hoshiumi-san, if you want the ‘little giant’ nickname, you can have it.” Hinata told him, genuinely. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hoshiumi-san suddenly looked very affronted, “dude! Quit acting like it’s yours to hand out! Besides, it’s been mine from the start!” He yelled angrily across the net. Then he stopped and burst out laughing at Hinata, who stood there stunned and staring back. Hoshiumi-san just kept laughing and walked away to rest during the time out. Hinata looked confused with his head tilted, then shrugged and joined his teammates on the bench too.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even after the break, Hinata didn’t seem derailed at all and magnificently tricked the opposing blockers into jumping after him to block when he pulled off a terrifyingly acrobatic, diagonal jump as if he was definitely going to smack the ball. But Tobio just grinned mid-set and sent it to the opposite side of the court where Tanaka-san would have a completely open shot since the blockers were so fooled into chasing Hinata. He scored easily and Hinata looked really pleased like he was having the time of his life. Tobio felt like he could relate, since it was incredibly fun to mess with the opposing team like this and have so much precise control over the game flow. Something like this wasn’t going to last long, he knew, so it was a good idea to enjoy it while he could. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>No sooner had this train of thought left the station then Hinata was up to serve and now in the back row, making some of those decoy attack strategies much more challenging to pull off. Tsukishima was rotating to the front and he looked tired, maybe sluggish even. Tobio smirked, then commented to him, “no running away.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tsukishima plastered on a fake smile, though Tobio could tell that he had definitely ticked him off. The blonde didn’t say anything in return and turned to ignore him, taking up his position on the court. Tobio glanced around his over teammates while he waited for the serve. His eyes snagged on Hinata for a moment, the latter’s expression was kind of alarming. He looked hyper-focused and in the zone, yet completely vague at the same time. Tobio squinted at him, trying to decide what that look meant, but the whistle blew and he turned around since Hinata was already moving to serve. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The rally following Hinata’s serve was mind-numbingly complex with Tobio sending the ball to Tsukishima right in the center of the court, full-on against three blockers. Kamomedai’s blockers were going all out to stop them, and the beanpole had smashed it down successfully; but it was swiftly dug by Hoshiumi-san. They sent it back to their tallest middle blocker, who slammed it past Karasuno’s block, but Hinata was miraculously there and dug the ball. Tobio glimpsed him getting his bearings then spring-boarding himself into the air for a back row minus-tempo attack option. He noted the rest of his teammates were also already on approach for a first-tempo attack as well, fully synchronized, and Kamomedai’s blockers were grimacing from across the net. Tobio leapt into the air to set the ball, grinning widely at the arsenal his teammates had become. He waited until the last possible second then zipped the ball to Hinata for the back row attack. Hinata had achieved an amazing height at this point and slammed the ball down above the blockers to score. He landed with his feet thumping against the ground in a superhero crouch, looking wildly exhilarated. Tanaka-san praised the small fry with a ‘great play!’ and reached out to help him up. Tobio watched Hinata go to grab his teammate’s hand and completely miss, flopping forward onto his hands and knees. He looked confused and tried to get up again, but his legs kept giving out with each attempt. Tobio heard him mutter ‘huh, weird?’ to himself. Tobio walked closer and glanced over his friend’s body while he heard the whistle blow for a time out. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Yeah, something’s off.. wrong?.. his body isn’t responding to how he’s trying to move.. he was so hot earlier..</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I think.. he probably has a fever.” Tobio said aloud, nearly certain this was the case, “I was thinking you’ve put in a lot of work today, but it’s you, so I didn’t really worry about it... but earlier, something was off. Your hands felt way too hot.” Everyone gazed at him for a moment then turned their attention to Hinata while Takeda-sensei moved forward and placed his hand against Hinata’s forehead.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hinata squawked out, “huh?! What are you talking about? I’m totally normal!” But Takeda-sensei’s expression said otherwise, and Tobio frowned. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Yeah, this is adding up. He’s been off since after the first day of the tournament.. not sleeping well, not eating right after matches like usual, constantly overactive..</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, you haven’t been yourself since last night. After day one, you could barely get out of the tub.. but it’s been like you’ve been constantly wired since yesterday morning. Even after the Nekoma game, you didn’t dive in on your lunch and pass out like you usually do. You’ve been buzzing around like you’re on an adrenaline high for almost two days now. It’s no surprise that you’d run yourself into the ground eventually.” Tobio stated calmly while taking in Hinata’s exhausted looking body, which was still trembling slightly. He glanced around his teammates to see if anyone else agreed, and realized that most of them were staring at the scene with concerned surprise, including Suga. This was confusing to him, as usually, his teammates were pretty good at keeping tabs on each other. Suga caught his eyes and moved closer to stand next to him. He still had a puzzled, concerned look on his face. Shimizu-san took Hinata’s temperature with a thermometer and it beeped lightly, indicating a fever.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“B-but Coach! It’s not like I’m hurt or anything, I can still move! See! I can still fly!” Hinata exclaimed loudly, waving his arms around and starting to become distraught. His teammates had moved in a circle around the bench, Hinata, coaches, and Shimizu-san and were looking on with grim faces. Suga reached up and held onto Tobio’s forearm, then moved his eyes to his soulmate’s face. He looked like he was moments away from becoming upset himself, his pouty lips quivering ever so slightly. Takeda-sensei was still sitting in front of Hinata and talking quietly to him about how he couldn’t continue the game like this and how he needed to get better so he could play more and other things as well, but Tobio was distracted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He furrowed his brows and leaned close to Suga’s ear, whispering into it gently, “hey, he’s always excitable, right? It took me a while to realize he was worse off than I thought too..”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Honestly, I’m so used to his crazy stamina that it didn't even occur to me that he’d run out! It’s no wonder, he really hasn’t stopped since day one, you’re right..” Suga commented lowly, catching his eyes. Tobio frowned a little deeper and turned his attention back to Takeda-sensei and Hinata who were still talking quietly on the bench. The latter looked livid, then frustrated and eventually tears started rolling down his face. Tobio could only watch as Yamaguchi patted Hinata’s back and offered to take him to the infirmary to get checked out, and his teammates started offering words of comfort and support. Even Tsukishima said something relatively nice along the lines of Hinata getting better with a good night’s rest. Tobio could understand the sentiment, but knew Hinata’s frustration probably went way far beyond what any level of comfort could help with. He didn’t want Hinata to become disillusioned with false limitations, when he knew that Hinata could very easily take better care of himself so he could stay in tip-top shape without issues. It was just this one time that Hinata didn’t keep track of it himself then crashed and burned because of it. </span>
  <em>
    <span>This shrimp better not lose his drive because of this! He said he would be my greatest rival and stay on the court the longest. Don’t lose your fighting spirit now.. there’s no way you’d just drop all those competitions we’ve had, right?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, you’re gonna stand on the court longer than anyone else, huh?” Tobio asked bluntly, staring Hinata down while he was getting up to leave, “ha! I win again.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hinata looked back at him, then wiped his damp face and frowned determinedly, like he was accepting the challenge. He started walking away with Yamaguchi while Hoshiumi-san suddenly yelled something about waiting for him. Hinata paused, then bowed, turned, and left the gym. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga snagged Tobio’s arm again and said quietly to him, “Tobio.. do you really think saying that to him now was the right move? It’s a bit harsh..” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hm? Yes.” Tobio glanced at his soulmate’s worried face, “he’ll be fine, trust me.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga nodded, but only looked a little relieved, clearly the stress of a teammate endangering their own health without him noticing during a high stakes match was weighing on him heavily. Tobio bumped his shoulder into his briefly, then ushered them over to where the rest of the team was gathering to talk strategy before the timeout was over. Tobio sighed when he surveyed his teammates’ gloomy faces. It would be an uphill battle without Hinata as he was a central point getter and decoy for the other hitters. He knew Hinata was also a mood maker, lifting everyone’s spirits and drive to do greater things; he was annoyed that their confidence was deflating right in front of his eyes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“‘We have some damn good players on this team’, right?” he quoted Sawamura-san plainly, hoping to instill in them that they could manage and adapt. His teammates gazed back at him with stoney, determined expressions, and Tobio hoped his sentiments hit home for them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Time was up and the team took to the court, now with Narita-san subbed in for Hinata. Without missing a beat, Tobio immediately set the first ball to Narita-san, who was almost instantly blocked by Kamomedai’s lightning-quick read blocking. The ball was picked up by Karasuno, luckily, and Tobio was able to set it to Narita-san again, who got through and scored. Tobio knew that his teammates would probably have something snarky to say about using Narita-san immediately without giving him a chance to adjust to the court; but he didn’t care. There was no extra time to give his teammate to adjust as the game was in full swing and they were only one point ahead. Besides, Suga said he didn’t have to hold back his volleyball play, so he had no intention of doing so. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The game continued and Tobio was proud that his team blazed through, maintaining a tie with Kamomedai even though they put up such solid walls that were ridiculously hard to get past. Tobio realized he was really pushing his spikers to repeatedly strike the ball until they scored, but he didn’t think they really minded all that much as it was keeping the game alive. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They were neck and neck with Kamomedai getting closer and closer to match point. Tobio sent the ball to Tsukishima in the center and his jump suddenly fell short. The ball finished its arc and landed right next to him, the point going to Kamomedai. Tsukishima landed and grimaced in pain, saying, “leg cramp!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Coach decided to substitute Yamaguchi, since he would be available to use his jump floater serve in a rotation or two anyway. Just like with Narita-san, Tobio immediately set the first ball straight to Yamaguchi who slammed it down for a point. His teammate looked back around at him incredulously, like he wanted to say something, but didn’t get a chance. Tobio glanced around the players and noticed that he was getting irritated looks from Kamomedai as well. He scoffed to himself and got ready for the next play. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What did you expect? We play on the offensive.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In a blink, Kamemodai was at match point with Karasuno trailing them by only one point. The next rally played out like it was in slow motion for Tobio. He watched Sawamura-san make perfect spikes, Yamaguchi put up excellent blocks, Nishinoya-san do amazing saves, and Azumane-san freeze mid-air in perfect spiking form. However, Kamomedai wasn’t giving up either, and Hoshiumi-san leapt into the air after a stray ball. His height and form made Tobio miss Hinata for a split second, the pair of them so similar and different at the same time. The ‘little giant’ blasted the ball downward and it ricocheted off of Nishinoya-san’s arms harshly. Kamomedai scored that point, and took the set. Karasuno lost the match.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio bent forward, resting his hands on his knees and panting lightly. He had run all out along with Tanaka-san to chase that stray ball in vain. The players took a moment to catch their breaths then everyone lined up and shook hands with the opposing team. Right after they were off to a side room to pack up their stuff and head back to the hotel for a meal. Just like that, nationals were over in a snap. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ah, we were so close to winning that match. It all went pretty fast for those last five points. Next time we have a match, it’ll be so different. Suga and the other third years won’t be on the team anymore, they’ll graduate soon.. top eight in the nation, huh?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They were meandering around their bags and Tobio listened lightly as Sawamura-san checked in with Tsukishima on his leg cramp. But Tobio lost the thread of conversation when Sawamura-san started exclaiming about seals for some reason. A minute or two later, when everyone was nearly done gathering their things up and ready to head out, the captain said, “don’t let the score fool you. That wasn’t a close loss. They had us completely beat. Top eight in the nation. That we made it that far on our very first trip to nationals may seem miraculous, but I have confidence that you guys can go further. A lot further!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But..” Tobio spoke up, looking at Sawamura-san, “I wanted to take </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span> team further.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His teammates gawked at him in shock, but he wasn’t quite sure why they reacted that way as he was just being honest. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nnnaagghhh!” Suga suddenly exclaimed and leaned against him heavily. Tobio let out a startled groan, but Suga ignored it and slid off his side, leaning forward with his hands on his knees, “it’s worthless if you don’t win the damn game, ya know? Lose and that’s where it all ends.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He looked up into Tobio’s face for a second, then his attention drifted back to the ground and he continued with his voice becoming thick with tears, “but, just hearing that from you.. just that.. makes it feel like coming here was worth something. I don’t care what anybody says. This was worth it! If you feel that way about this team now, then I’m sure you can feel that way about your next one. And the one after that, and the one after that, and all your teams.. even way in the future!” Tobio stared at his soulmate, his mouth drifting open as Suga’s strong flood of emotions washed over him. He hovered with his arms up in the air placatingly for a millisecond before smoothing his face back into his normal, neutral expression and scooped Suga up into his arms in a tight hug. Nobody seemed to mind the pair of them like this, so he just held on while Suga cried softly, muffled by his body.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Seals. Every one of them.” Sawamura-san said wetly like he was about to cry as well. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Takeda-sensei interrupted lightly, with a small smile sitting on his face and urged them that it was time to go, have a good meal, and rest. Sawamura-san stopped him and started giving a brief speech about how much he had done for the club as their advisor, but Tobio was having a hard time listening to his captain’s kind words. Suga was still weeping softly in his arms like he just couldn’t contain the emotions anymore and the floodgates were still open. Tobio just kept his arms around him snuggly, until everyone was done talking and people started heading out of the room. It seemed like his teammates had taken some kind of secret hint to give them space. As soon as the last person, Sawamura-san, smiled at them then left the room, Tobio let go and grasped Suga’s shoulders. He looked down into his soulmate’s blotchy face and used his jacket sleeve to gently wipe away some of the salty dampness. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You okay?” He asked in a low, calm tone, not wanting to upset Suga in any way, especially now that he had finally stopped crying.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah.. s-sorry” Suga sniffled a little and Tobio smiled at him. Suga caught the tilt and gave him a wobbly smile back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There’s nothing to be sorry for..” Tobio said quietly, “thank you. For what you said earlier.. it means a lot to me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga just nodded then moved to give him a swift peck on the cheek and hid his face in the front of Tobio’s shirt again. Tobio really was grateful for what Suga had said to him. Hearing those words and knowing that they were genuine lit a sort of flame in his mind, giving his determination a boundless new life. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m so lucky. This soulmate bond is so strong and powerful, but it makes me wonder if it’s only that. I don’t think it’s only that. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Koushi,” Tobio said quietly near his ear, while the other just hummed in question, face muffled in shirt fabric, “I think.. I love you.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga pulled away instantly and trained his eyes on Tobio’s like he was staring into the depths of his soul, but Tobio just kept gazing back, unmoving with that boundless determination solidly in place. Suga’s expression was changing slightly by the millisecond, flashing through surprised, inquisitive, alarmed, ecstatic, and finally settling on soft warmth.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I think.. me too” he whispered back, then moved closer, wrapping his arms up and around Tobio’s neck and kissed him. Tobio pulled him in close so they were fully pressed against each other and returned Suga’s affection. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Guys..” a voice came from the doorway, startling the two of them and they parted, looking around at the intruder. It was Sawamura-san, and he laughed mildly to himself then continued, “well I’m glad you’re taking the loss well.. come on, we gotta catch the train to the hotel.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga smiled brightly then grabbed Tobio’s hand, leading him towards the door. Tobio reflected on the game as they walked to meet up with the others. The loss really didn’t feel as bad as it could have. Maybe because he knew he’d have many more games to play, and he’d work just as hard in every tournament; or maybe because he had a sound soulmate bond to fall back on so it wasn’t really possible to feel at a loss. It felt like balance. Either way, it firmed his own resolve that he would never give up on volleyball, or his soulmates, because he wanted both. He could have both.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0034"><h2>34. OT</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It was the morning after the spring tournament ended and Tooru found himself trudging along the snow laden street on his way to Tobio’s house. They had texted after the tournament, and both him and Kou-chan seemed fine after losing to Kamomedai. Tooru was flat out impressed that Karasuno was technically top eight in the nation for volleyball now. He wondered if that would draw new students in to become crows just so they could play volleyball with some of the best. Tobio would probably draw a lot of interest, especially with his stellar performance at his first nationals tournament where everyone could blatantly see his talent.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He looked up at a street sign and realized he had passed the street he needed on accident. When he woke up this morning, he felt a little heavier than usual, like his limbs were being weighed down by the season, but he wanted to go and see his soulmates right away. He planned on popping by Tobio’s house first, and maybe they could call Kou-chan over, if he wasn’t there already. Tooru had begun wishing that he were closer to them, like they seemed to be with each other. But he knew that with his immediate future up in the air and long distance relationships being so difficult to manage, it would be too hard. He was worried about taking the plunge to fully devote himself to the idea of the bond and the people involved; and constantly fought with himself on whether or not he was being selfish in his indecisiveness. His soulmates didn’t seem to hold back in their efforts or affections, so maybe it was guilt that was lingering in the recesses of his mind. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He sneezed, then groaned, feeling that heaviness creeping back up over his body again like earlier. But he had made it to Tobio’s at long last and rang the doorbell. Tobio appeared in the newly opened doorway just half a minute later in comfortable looking sweatpants and a loose, light shirt like he had just woken up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tooru?” Tobio blinked at him blankly a few times then moved aside, “come in, quick.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He obeyed immediately, wanting to get away from the chill and took his shoes off in the entry before turning to Tobio and smiling charmingly, “yahoo, Tobio-chan!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You look frozen solid..” Tobio ignored his greeting and moved closer, peering at him suspiciously, “come warm up.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmm? Alright.” Tooru answered and followed Tobio, who had started off towards the living room. He felt Tobio’s hand gently herd him along to the kotatsu and slight pressure on his shoulder to sit down once they made it there. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll make you some tea, stay here and get warm.. your shirt’s wet, did you get snowed on?” Tobio asked quietly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is it? Oh, maybe. It was a little blustery out there, but you know, it’s a look.” Tooru answered vaguely, already thawing out under the heated blanket. Tobio raised his eyebrows at him, then nodded and left the room to make tea. Tooru could have sworn he only blinked before Tobio was back in the room, gently guiding a cup of tea into his hands. Tooru startled a little, looking up into Tobio’s face while taking the cup from him, “did I doze off?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tooru.. I think you’re sick. How do you feel?” Tobio asked, and his normal expression seemed changed somehow, Iike he was concerned and a little tense. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmmmm? A little heavy. But fine? I’m tired, I think. This tea is so warm,” Tooru replied, smiling blandly at his soulmate. His head did feel a little fuzzy, now that Tobio had mentioned it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay. Come on, get up.” Tobio said calmly and moved to hoist Tooru up on his feet. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wha-?” Tooru started, but almost keeled over with the sudden shift from sitting to standing and Tobio caught him, holding up his weight so he wouldn’t fall. Tobio shifted around smoothly and got under Tooru’s arm, then continued to bear the weight while he ushered him down the hall slowly. They got to Tobio’s room and he gently helped Tooru sit down on the bed. Tooru just watched as his soulmate swiftly grabbed a shirt from a drawer and came back. He carefully tugged Tooru’s shirt off his body then quickly put the new shirt on; but Tooru still felt the crisp air in the room and gave a small, uncontrollable tremble. He suddenly felt gentle pressure with a firm hand against shoulder again as he was guided to lay down and blankets pulled up over him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m going to take your temperature, be right back,” Tobio stated calmly and left again. He was magically back in a blink, just like before, and sat down on the bed next to him. Tooru was starting to wonder if he was an alien too, just like Koushi. He laughed to himself at his own little inside joke and saw concern light up Tobio’s face. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio took his temperature with a thermometer that had appeared out of thin air and watched his soulmate’s expression become quite pouty, then he heard him say, “ugh, what’s with the fevers recently? Doesn’t anyone pay attention to their own limits anymore?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru didn’t really have an answer for that, so he said vaguely, “sky’s the limit, Tobio-chan.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio actually laughed for a moment, then moved his hand lightly through Tooru’s hair, brushing it off his forehead. Tobio’s hand felt really cool and soothing. It felt like he could just close his eyes for a moment and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He sat up with a jolt in what seemed like a minute or two later, realizing he had fallen asleep in that comfort. Looking around a little confused, he saw Tobio look over at him from his laptop that he had balanced in his lap. He was sitting up in the bed beside Tooru, and closed the screen carefully before setting it down and picking something up from his nightstand.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Here, take these,” Tobio said in a hushed tone, and handed him what looked like medicine tablets and a glass of water, “this too.. Tooru, you have a cold. Just relax and rest a bit, okay? I’ll make you something warm to eat.” Tooru simply did as he was instructed and swallowed down the medicine and water wordlessly. Then Tobio started to get up like he really was going to go make some food. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru didn’t want him to leave, feeling oddly needy at the moment, and grabbed Tobio’s shirt before he could fully escape. The latter just turned around and sat back down on the bed next to him softly. He brought his hand back up to Tooru’s forehead and gently moved his fingers through his hair and over his scalp slowly, methodically, over and over again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru blinked open his eyes and looked around for his boyfriend, finding him still sitting up in the bed with his laptop in his lap again. Tobio clearly noticed him shift as he glanced over briefly to check. Just like before, he carefully put the laptop away and turned towards Tooru, bringing his hand to his forehead like he was casually checking his temperature. He seemed satisfied and smiled slightly, “it’s better. Think you can sit up? I have some soup for you right here..” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A tray with a covered bowl of soup seemed to magically appear on the table next to Tobio, who lifted it easily and set it down in front of him. Tooru stared at his soulmate, unblinking, “you‘re an alien, right? You know, I thought maybe a robot once upon a time, but now I’m thinking alien. Oh! Or maybe a hybrid?!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio’s mouth fell open slightly at his accusations, but his face shifted into his normal look and he responded, “I’m neither. Eat up, it’ll get cold.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru scoffed, then took a small spoonful of the soup. It was delicious, as expected of Tobio and his mysteriously fantastic cooking skills. It didn’t take him long to devour it and he was starting to feel much less heavy than before. As he finished his last bite, he noticed Tobio watching him appraisingly, like he was trying to work out a hard puzzle. But almost as soon as he noticed he was being watched in return, that typical impassiveness washed over his face again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good. Okay, what do you wanna do? Want to sleep some more?” He asked quietly. Tooru was starting to perk up and fully realize what was happening here. He didn’t know how much time had passed, but Tobio had clearly taken care of him the entire time. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What, seriously? Where did you even learn how to care for someone who’s sick like this?!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Um.. watch something?” Tooru asked, unsure what Tobio would do next. He started to feel a little nervous, being cared for so delicately like this since it was something he’d never experienced before. Even his parents weren’t as careful or unassuming as Tobio had been. Realizing that he had spaced out a little bit, he glanced back up to Tobio who was nodding and pulling the laptop over. He watched his soulmate concentrate on finding something, which turned out to be some older volleyball matches, and propped the laptop on the bed. Tooru shivered and Tobio looked over in question so he fessed up, “I’m cold, even with the blankets..” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s okay, here,” Tobio said softly, then moved behind Tooru and shimmied himself under the blankets too. Then he shuffled right up beside Tooru and enveloped him, wrapping an arm and a leg around him comfortably. Tooru felt like screaming internally at Tobio’s brazen affection. Not that it was unheard of, but Tooru didn’t experience it </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> often so it was still a bit of a shock; and Tobio was so warm and comfortable to be held by. He wondered idly how long it took Koushi to get used to Tobio’s outward gentle, physical affection versus his blunt way of speaking. It just seemed like Tobio would be the last person to be so careful and considerate of others in general, purely based on his usual attitude and presence. Even after several warnings from Koushi, it was a hard reality to swallow. However, he was really comfortable and warm now, so he just let those thoughts drift away and focused on the laptop screen, his eyelids feeling particularly heavy. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru woke up a while later, not knowing how long he was out for, but a quick glance out the window told him it had been hours. The sun was setting already, so it must be around five o’clock or so he mused to himself. He was feeling significantly better and not heavy in the least. Looking down, it dawned on him that he was being used as a pillow again. Tobio was wrapped around him comfortably and completely asleep. His face actually looked really peaceful like this, but Tooru imagined that it would be hard to maintain that stoic expression twenty-four hours a day anyway. Tobio’s tattooed arm was resting across his chest and Tooru took a moment to really analyze the winding shapes and colors. He found the words easily enough, having an exact replica set of his own: ambitiosus, animosus, and mollis. He didn’t know what they meant, having never bothered to look them up, however he knew they were probably accurate. He spent a few more moments tracing the tattoo carefully with his eyes then peered back into Tobio’s restful face. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It’s still a match. It’s always going to be a match... I guess.. he really is mine. Koushi too, huh? I should really talk to them. Maybe the bond will end up carrying me along like I used to believe.. or am I just hoping for that at this point? </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio started shifting then, running his hand up and around Tooru’s shoulder while still sleeping like some sort of clingy sloth. Tooru just huffed a few laughs, but immediately regretted it, as his body’s movement woke Tobio. The latter dragged himself upright into a sitting position, his eyes still half closed. Tooru mildly wished he could have just watched Tobio’s sleeping form longer, but he couldn’t really figure where this urge came from. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio leaned heavily on one hand and brought the other up to rub his eyes, muttering, “Tooru?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mmhm.. good morning, sleepy-chan,” Tooru smiled back easily, waiting for Tobio to fully wake up. Tobio blinked a few times and yawned, covering his mouth with the back of his hand, then looked over Tooru with scrutiny. Tooru raised his eyebrows at the sudden shift in attitude and simply gazed back at him. He never minded being looked at, scrutinized, or ogled, as it basically happened every day. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How are you feeling?” Tobio asked bluntly, bringing a hand up to his forehead to casually check his temperature again, “how did you get sick? You should really be more careful..” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru was slightly startled by Tobio’s somewhat stern questioning, “I’m better now.. I didn’t realize I caught a cold. I’m not sure about the how, but I bet it was because I got distracted while I was out jogging because of y-“ he cut himself off and looked away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Distracted while jogging?” Tobio tilted his head in question.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah! It’s nothing! Everything’s good now!” Tooru said quickly, waving his hands around in the air dramatically. Tobio gazed back at him suspiciously, but didn’t say anything. However, the corners of his lips started drifting upwards until he was smiling. Tooru stared back, caught off guard by that smile again, unable to drag his eyes away from Tobio’s incredibly handsome face. Tooru felt Tobio move his hand from where it was resting on his shoulder and he swept it across his forehead again, brushing the hair out of the way. Tooru froze as Tobio leaned forward and pressed his lips against his forehead lightly for just a brief moment then he pulled away. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, you really do seem fine now.. do you want me to grab the thermometer again to check for sure? Are you hungry?” Tobio asked in that low, hushed tone that Tooru was becoming very eager to hear. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, I’m definitely better now. But dinner sounds good?” Tooru replied a little dazedly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio just nodded, then got up and made for the kitchen, pausing in the doorway of his room to look back at Tooru, “you can stay and rest if you want, I’ll just be a bit.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then he disappeared and Tooru sat up, staring after him. Now he was feeling the complete opposite of that heavy, tired, dragging sensation from earlier. He felt light, like he was floating. He got up and followed Tobio to the kitchen. </span>
  <em>
    <span>No way am I going to let you out of my sight.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio had already pulled out several ingredients from the fridge and it looked like he was planning on making katsudon or something. Tooru also spied a covered pot sitting on the stovetop that had more of that soup from earlier he realized, as he watched Tobio turn various burners on to heat them up. Tooru walked up behind him when it looked relatively safe and wrapped his arms around him. Tobio turned his head to look over his shoulder and raised his eyebrows a little, like he was silently asking ‘what?’. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru grinned and whispered in his ear, “thank you, Tobio-chan, for taking care of me today. You’re really, really good at it..” he felt Tobio shiver, and wondered if it was whispering or his words that got that kind of reaction.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio didn’t say anything in response though and just nodded in acknowledgment, continuing his cooking steadily as if Tooru wasn’t burdening him by hanging on. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Did you call Koushi over?” Tooru asked, realizing that he and Tobio really hadn’t spent time alone together like this before and he wasn’t quite sure how to navigate this, as Kou-chan acted somewhat like a buffer between them a lot of the time. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No.” Tobio replied quietly, then followed up after a beat, “he was really upset when Shrimpy got sick during our last match of nationals...that was only a day ago. I know this is different, you’re different... he was really upset.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru blinked in surprise at Tobio, not that he saw since he was still focusing his attention on the pork and Tooru was clinging to his back like a koala bear on a tree. It was clear that Tobio was trying to communicate something specific, but he was coming across as kind of vague. So Tooru just decided to solve the puzzle out loud, “do you mean you’re worried that he’d get upset again so you’d rather not tell him right now and make him anxious about it?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes. But I-“ Tobio stopped, then turned around in Tooru’s arms, bringing his hand up to touch his forehead and looked into his eyes, “you’re fine. It just seems like something that could cause a lot of stress when it’s already fine.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru just gazed back, floored that Tobio was trying to spare everyone’s feelings at the same time and doing a pretty decent job. It was so unexpected that this surly soulmate of his was perfectly capable of balancing a relationship with two people at once. Tobio kept his gaze, like he was trying to decide if he needed to elaborate again to be perfectly understood. Tooru hummed, “hmm it’s okay then. I wouldn’t want to stress him out either. How’s Chibi-chan anyway? I saw your match.. I don’t know how many times I’ll be able to say this without getting mad, but you were honestly incredible.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio made a small movement to turn off the burner, then looked back into Tooru’s face, apparently fine with being wrapped up in his arms because he made no move to get free, “Oh? Thanks, competing with some of those players was a blast. The level of play was really high, it’s fun. Shrimpy’s much better now, he’ll probably need a day or two more to get back to practice though. He really ran himself into the ground. Seriously, I don’t know what you saw, but he was running around like crazy. Other than the getting sick part, I’ve never been more impressed by him, actually. There was this immovable guy who was dead set on read blocking, and would wait until he saw where I’d send the ball. Anyway, Hinata actually got the guy to move before I set the ball! So of course, I sent it to Tanaka-san and he just punched it! I’d hate to be the one to break it to Hinata, but Tanaka-san is definitely taking over for Azumane-san as the ace next year... but did you see some of those digs? Also, I can’t believe Hinata can nail a ‘four’ like that with all that extra strength in his jump and blockers seeing him coming. He’s going to be really tricky to deal with when he makes it to the pro leagues someday. I can basically see it now...Tch, I’m a little frustrated. We were so close to taking that match too. It would have been nice to take it further.” He paused a second, “Tooru, please make sure you warm up right away after your jog when it’s this cold out..” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ahhhh.. I will, promise.” Tooru said absently, trying to process everything Tobio had said. It had only happened a few times so far, but it seemed like he was always playing catch up when Tobio went on a rant about something. He stalled for time and cupped his soulmate’s face in his hands then said, “I watched it all, couldn’t tear my eyes away..”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio’s head started to tilt ever so slightly like he was about to ask a question and Tooru felt the small shift through his hands as he was still holding his face. He leaned forward and kissed him, unable to control the urge any longer since it had building and building with all of Tobio’s careful, considerate, little actions. The idea was confusing for Tooru, but he recognized that he thought Tobio was endearing in a really quiet sort of way that no one would ever see unless they spent enough time in situations like this. He was completely taken in, but he pulled away and dropped his hands after a few seconds of lazily lingering. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m gonna fess up to something..” Tooru said, and Tobio just gazed back a little distractedly, “it’s really something else.. being cared for like this. I’ve never had this happen before. I know, shocking, since I’m so popular!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio furrowed his brows, but didn’t reply, so Tooru continued, “I’m really starting to get attached to this, too. I don’t.. I’m not quite sure how to navigate this relationship because I feel like I don’t want to mess it up. Before, with other people, I didn’t really care if things went sideways. I’ve been told... Iwa-chan is my best friend, and he nags me all the time about what I do and how I do things.. It’s not like I don’t know I’m a difficult person.. I guess I’m just surprised that you and Kou-chan are so willing to put up with it. It makes me wonder why?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh.” Tobio said lightly, like he had discovered a clue to a mystery, “you know, when I first saw your tattoo, I was completely shocked. It was during that first practice match between our schools. I don’t know if you remember, but you came late and weren’t wearing your armband. You uh.. teased me. I hadn’t seen you since middle school...”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru nodded along, but didn’t want to interrupt just in case Tobio decided not to be so candid. But it dawned on him a millisecond later that Tobio was always candid. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I didn’t say before when we first talked about the bond, because I thought you hated me, but I really like the idea of the soulmate bond. I think maybe it’s because of my grandpa that I like it so much. And I was really happy that it was you, even though I thought you’d never want any part of it since it was me. I wanted to try to figure out how to make it work. I wanted to drive myself forward towards what I wanted like you were always doing, and I think that I have now. I’ll keep going too, just like you will. I know it and you know it. We all have each other, right? That balance?” Tobio told him all this steadily in that low, hushed, comforting tone he used when he wasn't around a ton of people. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Right.. just keep moving forward,” Tooru said faintly, tipping his head to the side and openly scrutinizing Tobio. The latter didn’t seem to care and gave an easy smile, then he nodded curtly and turned around to finish cooking. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It’s just that simple, then? Apparently it is.. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio finished up making dinner pretty quickly after that even with Tooru silently refusing to let go and draping himself around the other lazily. There was something about this that Tooru really liked. Maybe it was the relaxed, calming atmosphere. They ate the katsudon together at the table and Tobio made some hot tea for them both as well. Tooru sat at the table across from Tobio and sipped the tea slowly, savoring the feeling of the hot liquid running down his throat while glancing out the window. He noticed that it was completely dark outside now. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio must have followed his gaze because he spoke up softly, “can you stay?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmm? Yeah, I guess I can.” Tooru looked back at him in question, wondering where this request was coming from. It must have put Tobio out to look after him all day, so Tooru wracked his brain trying to think why he would want to subject himself to more of the same. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good, I want to make sure you’re alright,” Tobio stated simply while getting up and taking the empty dishes back to the kitchen to wash. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh ho ho! Sure does sound like someone really cares about me, Tobio-chan.” Tooru teased in a playful tone, watching him scrub the plates with a sponge. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio’s eyes flickered up from his soapy work to meet Tooru’s briefly, before returning to the dish, “of course I do.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah.. I-I didn’t mean to-..” Tooru sputtered, not expecting Tobio to take him seriously like he was probing for validation. Tobio finished what he was doing the next moment, drying his hands on a towel, then walked over to Tooru and held out a hand like he was going to lead somewhere.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tooru, I wouldn’t have said I wanted to try if I didn’t like you or care about you..besides, we’re together. You know, I’m not really the best at these kinds of conversations... Koushi is much better at them, but if you want to talk more about this stuff, we can.” Tobio said using that tone that was starting to drive Tooru crazy in a good way and he found himself shaking his head absently and grabbing Tobio’s outstretched hand. The latter pulled him up easily and led him down the hall back to his room. Tooru stood around idly after Tobio let go of his hand and wandered towards a dresser. He watched his boyfriend rummage for some clothes then turn around and hold out some sweatpants. Tooru took them slowly, and looked back haughtily.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You probably don’t wanna sleep in those,” Tobio nodded towards the pants Tooru was wearing, “you can take a shower too, if you want. Let me know if you want a new shirt too, okay?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru raised his eyebrows and looked down at his own chest, suddenly seeing that he was in a completely different shirt than he wore over in the first place, “wow, I must have been more out of it than I thought..” he mumbled to himself. Tobio huffed a small laugh, but when Tooru snapped his eyes to his face again, that impassive expression was plastered there. Tooru scoffed and said, “yeah, I’ll shower then. Please and thank you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio showed him to the bathroom and made sure he knew where everything was then left him to his own devices. Tooru showered up quickly, got dressed, and went back to the bedroom. He found Tobio sprawled out on his stomach on the bed, laptop perched in front of him scrolling through what looked like some random website. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Whatcha looking at, Tobio-chan?” Tooru said lightly, making his way over to his soulmate. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio glanced over to him, then patted the bed next to him, “the video of our match against Kamomedai. I wanted to see if I could figure out how that asshole beanpole dodged Hoshiumi-san’s block out.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru laughed and plopped down next to him gracelessly, “asshole beanpole?! Do you mean Glasses-kun? I’ll help you figure it out, let me see.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio played the video and Tooru squinted at the players, watching out carefully for any apparent tells that would show them some answers. After a few replays, Tooru exclaimed loudly at the screen, “Ah hah! It’s the eyes. Shortie-chan is focusing his attention on the fingers of the blockers if he’s planning on tooling the block. Glasses-kun must have picked up on it and that’s how he knew when to dodge. Still, you’d have to react really fast for it to work, even if you see it coming.” Tooru smirked at the screen and leaned back on his hands, very satisfied with himself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru shifted his eyes to Tobio, who was apparently already gazing back at him with a very affectionate looking smile playing on his lips. He nodded and said, “yeah, I think you’re right. Kinda clicked after you said it.” Tooru watched him look back at the screen briefly, then he sat up and made to leave the bed, casually running his hand through Tooru’s hair on his way.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru just gaped at him slightly, following his smooth movements until he was out of the room. He didn’t have to wait long before Tobio was back with a towel, more cold medicine tablets, and a glass of water. He came over to the edge of the bed and stood there, silently handing the tablets and water to Tooru, who took them without question. Then Tooru felt the towel drop down on his head, and Tobio patted his hair through it, soaking up some lingering dampness, “you didn’t dry your hair enough, you know it’ll take longer to get better if you do these things halfway, right?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah.. thanks,” Tooru replied, bringing his hand up to catch Tobio’s in his hair, stilling it for a second, then pulled him into an embrace. Tobio stumbled forward slightly, falling into Tooru’s arms and Tooru just caught him with no intentions of letting go anytime soon. He shifted his weight and let them both topple backwards onto the bed. Tobio let out a small ‘oomph’ sound, then shifted his own weight onto his arms, propping himself up on Tooru’s chest and laughed. Tooru just stared, mesmerized by the slight of Tobio’s happy, handsome face being lit up with joy like that. He wished he could make him laugh more often, and decided he would endeavor to do so. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru yawned suddenly, bringing his hand up for cover, and Tobio commented, “let’s go to bed.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tobio-chan! How forward of you! We’re already in bed.” Tooru smirked, gazing up at him since he was still resting bodily on top.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He ignored him, leaned down, and placed his lips lightly on Tooru’s forehead, essentially shutting him up, but then Tobio leaned back after a second, “you’re not hot anymore, I think you’ll be back to normal by tomorrow if you sleep well tonight.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Excuse me, I’m always hot.” Tooru protested, giving Tobio a fake-aghast look.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mmhm, you are,” Tobio responded in the low, hushed tone, then swooped down again and swiftly kissed Tooru on the lips this time before rolling off of him completely, “but you need to sleep.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru was about to protest, but this version of Tobio was exceedingly difficult to argue with since everything he said was so straightforward. Tooru just pouted then crawled across the bed and dove under the covers. He could have sworn he heard Tobio laughing quietly at his drama, but he wasn’t sure. A second later, Tobio lifted the covers and peeked in, then shuffled under them as well, “‘night.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“‘Night..” Tooru whispered back, feeling really sleepy now that he was warm and comfortable. He peered over at Tobio, who was laying on his back looking very relaxed with his eyes closed.  Tooru watched him for a while longer, until he couldn’t keep his eyes open anymore and succumbed to the soothing atmosphere, sinking into a deep sleep.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0035"><h2>35. SK</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It was as if Suga had only blinked since nationals and it was already April. Graduation day came and went in a flash and Suga found himself walking up to Tooru’s house to help him pack up. His soulmate had gotten into a sports science major at a college in Sendai while working with this specific coach he had mentioned a few times, but it was a little too far to commute from his house every day. He had found a small apartment closer to the school and asked a few people to help him move his things. Suga obligingly agreed, obviously willing to help him however he could in general; also secretly hoping Tooru would return the favor in a month's time when he would move his own stuff to Tokyo where he would be attending college. But he hadn’t really had a chance to tell his soulmates all the details yet with graduation and exams and everything piling up right after nationals. Suga connected the dots pretty quickly that this type of chain-gunned stress was the reason why his teachers and advisors warned third years about staying in club activities longer than necessary. But it was necessary, he reminded himself, as they went to nationals with the team and ranked top eight. He didn’t have any regrets about it whatsoever, despite the super busy time up to graduation. It was nice to finally have an excuse to spend some time with his soulmates too, even if they’d be working on packing, since he was previously so bogged down. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ringing the doorbell, he tucked his hair behind an ear and waited a beat before Iwa-kun opened the door. Suga smiled at him brightly, “Hi, Iwa-kun! How have you been?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey Suga-chan, I’m alright, you?” He said, smiling in return then moving aside to let Suga pass. Suga entered the house and took off his shoes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m good! Finally glad to be done with school stuff for a bit, ya know?” Suga answered, looking around Tooru’s house. The latter lived with his mom, dad, older sister, and her kid, and it seemed pretty lively. Suga could already hear some sort of ruckus coming from down the hallway. Iwaizumi looked around at the noise too and grimaced. Suga nudged him lightly and raised his eyebrows in question.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh, Tobio-kun’s already here..Takeru wanted to help too but he’s too distracted by Tobio, Mattsun and Makki-kun also decided to show up and Tooru’s being insufferable.” Iwa-kun relayed, looking very annoyed and about two seconds away from leaving. Instead of taking off out the front door, he headed back towards Tooru’s room. Suga laughed lightly while he followed, the noise level growing rowdier by the second. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Iwa-kun opened the door and gestured for Suga to enter first, so he did, smiling at the racket. Everyone paused what they were doing and stared at him after he entered. He looked around everyone’s faces and gave a small wave, “hiya! Oh, that’s cute.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru was mid-struggle with Mattsun who had a very large stuffed alien plushie straddling his shoulders like he was giving a ride to a favorite sibling and Tooru had one of its limbs clutched in his hands in an attempt to yank it off. Mattsun laughed and swayed some more, the alien precariously flinging to and fro while Tooru looked both embarrassed and livid at the same time. Suga beamed at them and commented sweetly, “it’s like a reverse abduction! Tooru-chan, shouldn’t it be the other way around?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Makki-kun grinned and started laughing too, probably at Tooru’s angst. Suga looked around and spied Tobio talking to Takeru with the most uncomfortable look on his face like he wasn’t sure what to say to a eight-year-old kid. But said kid didn’t seem to mind and was hopping around him asking questions about volleyball, at least from what Suga could hear. Iwaizumi sighed from where he was standing next to Suga and aggressively grabbed a few shirts from a drawer then flung them full force into an open cardboard box. The chaos continued happily around the space and it made Suga wonder just how long they’d been at it and how much longer this process was going to take. He ran a hand through his hair, then tucked some behind his ear again before marching straight over to Tooru. The latter seemed flustered, now griping loudly about respecting people’s personal affects or something, but he looked like an angry puppy and Suga really enjoyed that expression. He ran his hand down Tooru’s arm soothingly to get his attention and the other glanced down briefly while still tugging harshly on the alien. Suga slid right in front of him smoothly, running his hands up his chest and around his neck, then leaned up and said quietly in his ear, “so, what can I help you with?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru immediately let go of the alien sending Mattsun stumbling backward a few steps, then froze, staring straight ahead of him with his eyes widened slightly. Suga backed off and looked around briefly before returning his gaze to Tooru and said casually, “are you limiting yourself to a certain number of boxes, or taking everything?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wow! Well, this just got a thousand times more fun!” Mattsun commented, clearly delighted by Tooru’s stupor. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s an interesting turn of events. What’d ya say to him?” Makki-kun asked, smirking.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmm? I just want to help out?” Suga replied, surveying the boxes strewn about the room. Iwaizumi laughed, then made an attempt to shove an entire lamp into a box full of clothes. Suga raised his eyebrows at the guy and exclaimed, “Iwa-kun! That’ll break like that and glass will get everywhere!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mattsun and Makki-kun just stared with shared delight on their faces at their former captain and vice-captain getting completely steamrolled for their subpar packing efforts, but Suga didn’t really notice and he continued in a sharp tone, “you gotta wrap that in paper if he’s taking it.. Tooru-chan did you even tell them what you wanted to pack? You have like, so many random things going on in just this box?! How will you ever unpack it at this rate? Iwa-kun, stop messing around and put all the shirts in only this box, the bottoms in this one, and whatever other clothing here..Tooru, you can stuff that guy anywhere, but it’s gotta go last or it’ll be smooshed. Did you really intend on bringing everything? I think you should reconsider that idea..” Suga started buzzing around the room, organizing the chaos very neatly, expertly while still maintaining an edge of tumultuous flair.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tobio-sannnn! Toss some balls to me now! Pleaaase?” Takeru’s loud voice joined the fray and Tobio looked stunned, staring wide-eyed at the kid. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tobio, just go toss some balls for him in the backyard.. I think it’ll be easier this way.” Suga commented airily, grabbing Tooru’s hand and leading him over to some empty boxes. He saw Tobio nod in acknowledgement then mutter something quietly to Takeru, who looked utterly thrilled and ran out of the room. Suga watched Tobio pick up the pace as he followed him out. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Well that takes care of that. How did they expect to get this done the way they were doing it, seriously?! We’d be here all night. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kou-chan, I’ve missed you..” Tooru said, lower than Suga would expect and he looked up into his face. He looked exhausted, like he’d been grappling with his friends all morning, and upon reflection, he probably had been.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga gave his hand a squeeze before letting go and gesturing at the boxes, “so, what can I help you with? You seem a little disorganized..” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah ha ha! Yes. That about sums it up.” Tooru laughed derisively, and glared in the direction of his friends, “I’ll admit that I may have been a bit loose in saying exactly what I wanted.. but in my defense, they went nuts on my stuff.”  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They quickly sorted out exactly what Tooru needed or wanted to pack and finished up within the hour with Suga giving precise directives. Afterward, they sat around the room amongst the boxes, lounging in their completion of a hard task. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, I can see why you were the vice-captain. Karasuno seems like a rowdy bunch anyway, but you have it down...” Makki-kun commented, revolving his head lazily towards Suga. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t mind, they’re absolutely a rowdy bunch. Though I probably went right along for the ride more often than not,” Suga replied, smiling brightly back at him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Whew! You’re somethin’ else! I’m so glad that Tooru will probably have to run to keep up with you,” Mattsun grinned, casually crossing his ankles and leaning back on his hands from where he was sitting on the floor. Suga raised his eyebrows, then shrugged, not really minding whatever effort Tooru would or wouldn’t have to give. He knew that it was probably going to be the other way around a lot of the time anyway. Tooru seemed really wishy-washy with anything that wasn’t volleyball, at least until he could figure out how to work it to his own advantage. But Suga didn’t think it was necessarily a bad thing to be ambitious like that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio stepped back into the room then, looking windswept and happy with a contented smile playing on his lips. He looked as handsome as ever, like he walked right out of a commercial shoot, and Suga realized everyone was staring at him. Tobio apparently noticed too as his face fell slightly, but luckily not all the way, and he said, “We’re done playing. I think I accidentally wore him out.. anyway, he’s pretty good!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru groaned and rested his head back against some boxes he was leaning back on, “please tell me you didn’t say that to him.” Tobio tilted his head in question, looking very guilty like that’s exactly what he did. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I told him he was pretty advanced for his age..” Tobio answered then, walking over to Tooru and sitting on the floor next to him, “why? It’s true.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru groaned again while Iwa-kun, Mattsun, and Makki-kun all laughed, then he responded darkly, “it’ll go to his head and he’ll be insufferable, especially since </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>said it to him. I’m not the only one who watched nationals, you know? He’s super into volleyball and I-“ Tooru made a full stop right in his tracks and snapped his mouth shut. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, no, please go on, Captain,” Mattsun jibed, grinning widely. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Makki-san put in a quiet, “you sure? It’s hard to get him to stop once he gets going..”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga looked back and forth between them, then to Iwa-kun to see if he would give way to what was going on. Clearly, the others in the room had some sort of inkling where Tooru was going with that sentence, but Suga could only guess. A quick glance at Tobio’s puzzled face confirmed that he didn’t know either. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright, alright.. leave him be. The alien harassment was probably enough.” Iwa-kun said, folding his arms across his chest and smiling mildly at his snarky friends, “let’s go grab pizza and bring it back, yeah?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga nodded absently, still a little curious about what Tooru was about to spill, but he supposed he would have to coax it out of him another way later if he really wanted to know. One look at Tooru’s face told him that he was on verbal lockdown, unwilling to divulge anything further. His friends left the three of them alone soon after, chatting about pizza toppings or something loudly on their way out. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga looked back to Tooru and smiled, “hah! They’re fun!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmm, not the word I would use,” Tooru grumbled, clearly still peeved at their teasing, whatever it was. Tobio merely glanced between them, remaining silent, unperturbed by anything going on. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So... you’ll help me move in a month then?” Suga asked, tilting his head slightly, “I, um, found a place with good roommates.. in Tokyo.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tokyo?!” Tooru snapped his attention to Suga, “you got in then, to the school you wanted?!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Really? That’s great Koushi!” Tobio added, smiling at him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait, wait.. ‘good’ roommates? You know already? Who are they?” Tooru asked suddenly, peering at him suspiciously.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s the best part! Turns out that Daichi also got into the same school as me, so that’s just obvious. Then we were talking to Tetsurou-kun.. ah, former captain from Nekoma, and he’s going to the same school as us too! Super weird coincidence.. and then there’s Bokuto-san..”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hah?! I thought he was joining a first division v-league team right away?” Tobio asked, curiously.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmm? Oh, yes! He is, but he’s joining a team that trains in Tokyo, apparently. Anyway, he’s fine with sharing a room with Tetsurou-kun, since he’ll be gone quite a bit when the volleyball season starts. Ah, then Daichi and I have our own rooms, it’s a three-bedroom apartment.” Suga finished his spiel. He was bummed that he’d be all the way in Tokyo while Tooru and Tobio were in Sendai, but he was really excited about this college. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kou-chan.. you’ve never said.. What's your major? Are you continuing with volleyball in college?” Tooru asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga glanced between his soulmates for a moment, contemplating how they may respond since they were both volleyball fanatics, but took the plunge anyway as calmly as he could, “education. I want to be a teacher. I might play a little on a college team, but it’s a huge maybe.. I’m not nearly as good as you guys, and I don’t have the same grand ambitions of playing volleyball against the world.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh. I can see that.” Tobio replied easily, then followed up, “you </span>
  <em>
    <span>are</span>
  </em>
  <span> very good at volleyball though. But I figured you didn’t have the exact same idea about it that I did.. and I can only guess where you are with it..” he nodded his head casually towards Tooru, who was staring at Suga with his mouth hanging open. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“A teacher?!” Tooru exclaimed a second later, but he seemed to cool down pretty fast, “sorry, wasn’t expecting that.. then again, I can kinda see it too.. please tell me you’ll at least try to play volleyball if there’s a good opportunity.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga nodded and smiled at him, feeling like that reveal went better than he was expecting. However, Tooru was still gazing back at him looking a little troubled, so Suga asked, “what is it? You okay?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Remember that coach I’m basically studying under? Well, the reason I’m so interested in him is because he’s the guy who inspired me to be a setter and play volleyball for the long haul.. it’s more than.. I can’t describe what it means to me to work with this coach.” Tooru said, pausing to look at them in turn, “he’s not staying in Sendai. He’s moving back to Argentina to coach a pro league team over there.. I’m following him, we’ve worked out a partnership of sorts.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga sat up and peered at Tooru, frowning slightly, “when?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Early next year. I.. uh.. might become naturalized there, if things are going the way they seem.” Tooru added, looking extremely nervous.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga closed his eyes and took a deep breath in and held it for a few moments before letting it out, then opened his eyes and stared at Tooru before asking, “why?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru’s mouth fell open slightly while he stared back at Suga, but he maintained eye contact, “I want to play the world. I think this is the path I need to take to get what I want. I will continue to move forward and try not to have regrets for things that I could have done, but didn’t. So this is the solution.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga nodded, then stood up and walked over to Tooru, sitting down right in front of him. He was about to drill him with more questions, his own mind whirling around a mile and minute, but Tobio spoke up before he could in a calm, low voice, “so, you’re not playing for Japan this time around?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m afraid not. It won’t happen for me unless I make it happen, Tobio-chan.” Tooru replied steadily. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The drive to keep moving forward,” Tobio said in that same tone, “I really admire that, you know? Maybe we’ll play each other one day then. I’m playing for Japan.” Suga was screaming internally at the ridiculousness of his boyfriends and their single-mindedness for volleyball. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are.. are we staying together through all this? Tooru.. you’re bound to be gone for years if you’re saying what I think you’re saying.” Suga asked quietly, starting to worry a little and he clenched the hem of his shirt nervously.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re mine. I have proof,” Tooru said simply, lifting his tattooed arm into the air, “the distance will be hard, no doubt, but we’ll always have this. I don’t plan on letting go.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then Tobio piped up like it was a competition, “I’m going to have both. Soulmates </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> volleyball.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga could only stare at them in turn, his mouth hanging open at their brazen optimism. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Well, I’ve already decided to commit to these two for the long run anyway. I guess the paths are always winding in ways you don’t expect. I don’t think I’ll lose them though. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He looked between his soulmates, who were staring each other down now in a silent challenge that clearly screamed ‘I’ll beat you at worlds when we meet there!’, and couldn’t contain it anymore. He let out his held breath and said through his resulting laughter, “pfft hahaha! You two are ridiculous! How am </span>
  <em>
    <span>I </span>
  </em>
  <span>the boring one in this relationship?! How?!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They both startled and gazed back at him with mixed looks of disbelieving shock, which just made Suga laugh even harder and he wished he could snap a picture of their expressions to keep forever. Suga took a moment to calm down, now feeling crazy since he was the only one laughing, and wiped his eyes before grabbing Tooru’s hands in his own, “I won’t let go either.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru’s face flashed through surprise then elation, and it looked like he was about to say something, when a loud voice interrupted from the hallway, “Yo, yo! Pizza delivery!” The voice got close and appeared in the doorway, “well, well, well, what are you three up to? I bet you guys really do have wild times..” Mattsun smirked and commented smugly, though Suga couldn’t imagine why he’d think so. Then again, they did look strange in that moment with all of them sitting close together on the ground, Suga sitting in front of Tooru holding his hands while Tobio lounged back casually watching them; and weirdly enough, Tobio always gave off a sexy sort of vibe whenever he relaxed like that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oi, don’t mention that. Captain’ll start up again and I reeeallly don’t want to hear that story for the fifth time.” Makki-kun added, popping out from behind Mattsun. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What story?” Iwaizumi came up behind them too, peeking into the room, then promptly turned around and made for the kitchen, muttering barely loud enough for them to hear, “oh for the love of-, not that again. I didn’t want to hear that in the first place. Keep it to yourself trashy-kawa.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0036"><h2>36. KT</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Tobio scrolled through his phone idly, trying to find something entertaining to look at while he rode the train to Tokyo. It had been several months since Suga moved into his apartment with Daichi-san, Kuroo-san, and Bokuto-san. Tobio was already halfway through his second year at Karasuno, and getting ready for spring nationals again with the new team. Tobio, Suga, and Tooru had spent as much time as possible together before Suga moved, since he’d be the furthest away after that. However, Tooru ended up needing to make his move to Argentina sooner than he had anticipated. They’d seen him off at the airport only a month and a half prior, and Tobio was hoping that they’d be able to video chat with him while he stayed with Suga in Tokyo for the weekend before he needed to head off to the All Japan Youth Training Camp. He had been invited again and it was starting in a few days. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio tapped through some random social media websites, but he was really just thinking of his soulmates. It was just the beginning of their time apart, he knew, but it took a little getting used to. He had spent a lot of time with Tooru, nearly every free weekend, since Suga moved to Tokyo and they had become close. Tooru always seemed to have these hidden reservations about things and people, and Tobio tried his best to be as straightforward as possible. He didn’t know how to break through walls like that in the same way he knew Suga could, but Tooru didn’t seem to mind.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio sighed and pocketed his phone, deciding to just watch the scenery go by instead as he realized he was spending the time thinking about his relationships anyway and that was plenty distracting. None of it really felt strained, but he missed them. Distance was a little harder to swallow in reality than he would have thought. Other than planned visits here and there, he’d have to wait years before being close to Tooru again in the same way he was before the other had to leave. At least Suga was just a two-hour train ride away, but even that distance could be daunting and expensive. Regardless of being in the same country, they had to plan trips pretty carefully to make sure it worked out. It wasn’t too bad so far though as Tobio was really busy with volleyball club and trying to take the new team to nationals. Ennoshita-san was a great captain and the new first years were alright, but losing the third years really put a dent in their defense and offense. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>An announcement rang throughout the train, saying it would arrive at the station Tobio needed momentarily. Tobio gathered up his belongings and headed towards the door, wanting to get off as soon as it arrived. He hadn’t seen Suga since they took Tooru to the airport together and despite texting and talking on the phone regularly, it felt like it had been ages.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It only took about ten minutes for him to walk to Suga’s apartment and he rang the bell then waited. The door opened a moment later like someone had been standing guard on the other side and Tobio startled slightly, coming face to face with Kuroo-san. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oya? That’s timing! Hey Tobio-kun!” Kuroo-san grinned and let Tobio in, before sweeping around him to exit himself, “nice seeing ya! Be back in a bit!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio watched him leave and shut the door behind him. Tobio had only been to Suga’s once before, since Suga had traveled back to Sendai more than Tobio had gone to Tokyo the past few months. Tobio stood frozen in the entryway, a little unsure if it would be rude to trespass without anyone else knowing he was here. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His confusion only lasted a moment before he heard the familiar voice of his soulmate call out from what sounded like the kitchen and footsteps growing closer, “Tetsu-kun! Was that the doorbell? You know I’m expecting Tobio today, right?” Suga rounded the corner and stopped in his tracks upon seeing Tobio.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Koushi, hi.. I’m here,” Tobio said quietly, a smile quickly blooming on his face. Suga sprinted down the hall and tackled him bodily, sending them both flying backwards onto the ground with the momentum. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga just laughed and hugged Tobio tightly, having flung arms around his neck, “Tobio-channn! I’ve missed you! Why didn’t you text me that your train arrived?! I would’ve picked you up from the station!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s alright! You said you had a class today, I didn’t remember what time it ended..” Tobio answered, his voice coming out muffled with Suga half-smothering him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They got up and Suga lazily brushed off Tobio as if he had gotten dirty falling on the floor and Tobio just grinned, having missed Suga’s doting, handsy presence. He traced his eyes over Suga’s body, taking in his appearance since he hadn’t seen him in so long. He looked as ethereal as ever with his smooth skin peeking through the collar of his casually loose-fitting sweater. His hair was a little longer too, enough to stay tucked behind his ear completely without fear of falling free as easily as before, but not really long enough to tie back. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oi! Are ya going to keep staring or do you wanna come in and I’ll make some tea?” Suga smirked at him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio shook his head then nodded and Suga laughed. Tobio said then, “I’ve missed you too, a lot.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga just beamed at him then gave him a swift peck on the cheek and grabbed his hand, leading him to the kitchen. He made some tea and they sat together at a small, square table with four chairs. Tobio scanned the room with his eyes, subtly checking out the kitchen to scope out its utility. Suga must have read his mind because he said lightly a second later, “you can use it whenever you like...”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh. Can I make you dinner this weekend? It’s kind of weird not to cook for a whole week.” Tobio replied, returning his attention to Suga’s face. The other looked back at him, a slow smile building into radiance. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure, wouldn’t say no to that.. are you excited about the camp?” Suga said and reached across the table to lace his fingers with Tobio’s.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It should be interesting. It was the last time.. I wonder who will be there this time.” Tobio answered.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga hummed in thought, “hm.. well if that Miya guy is there, don’t fall for his flirting..”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hah?! I really don’t think he’s interested in me like that. Besides, I wouldn’t fall for it because I already have what I want.” Tobio argued in a low tone. Suga just gazed back at him, clearly taking his time processing said argument and Tobio wondered for a second if he would argue back. He was constantly being told by his teammates that he was always too blunt about his own feelings, so it was surprising that Suga would be bothered by others’ actions towards him like that. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga tilted his head like he was deciding which route to take and said distractedly, “Of course you do..”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Anyway, how are your classes going?” Tobio asked to change the subject, deciding that if Suga was really worried about their relationship or Tobio’s intentions, he would say so. He never felt any need to doubt Suga’s because if his soulmate wanted to change something or be done or whatever it was, he would definitely talk about it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmmm? They’re going really well, actually. I’m convinced I’m on the right path! Daichi’s been a little wishy-washy though... Last week he said he wanted to switch majors and become a paramedic. We’ll see what he lands on, I guess.” Suga answered, saying the last part a bit more to himself than Tobio, “Oh! But this apartment arrangement really worked out! I’m sorry Koutarou-kun won’t be around this weekend for you to talk with though.. he’s been really busy training with the league. He’s with the Black Jackals now!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?! Really? I hadn’t heard that...” Tobio responded, a bit too loudly and Suga laughed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They talked for a bit longer then headed out to a grocery store to pick up some ingredients for dinner. Once Tobio was satisfied that they had everything needed to make this particularly good pasta dish with a meaty, red sauce, they headed back to Suga’s and it was about time to cook anyway. Tobio made himself at home in the kitchen, chopping up ingredients and sorting supplies while Suga just watched, sitting on a stool by the counter. Tobio knew it seemed kind of obvious that he’d stay with Suga while he was in Tokyo, but he felt like he wanted to do something nice for Daichi-san and Kuroo-san in return for letting him invade their space too. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Just as the sauce was finished simmering, Tobio drained the pasta from boiling and Daichi-san walked into the kitchen tailed by Kuroo-san. Tobio glanced up as they entered and nodded at them in greeting.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey Tobio-kun! Long time no see!” Daichi-san greeted him in return, smiling genially just like Tobio remembered, “whatcha doing?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His former captain wandered closer and took up another stool by Suga, while Kuroo-san followed and did the same, nodding back at Tobio.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Making us some dinner.” Tobio replied, turning around with the colander full of pasta and carefully stirring it into the simmering sauce, “nearly done now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It smells good.. thanks, Tobio-kun.” Kuroo-san said, smiling lightly while openly scrutinizing Tobio’s handiwork, “a man of several talents, I see. What’s the occasion?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio shifted around the kitchen deftly, spooning even portions of pasta into bowls for everyone, then looked up at the three of them sitting across the counter. They were all gazing back at him with various levels of curiosity, but Suga was grinning happily. Tobio’s eyes snagged on him last and he stared for a beat or two, momentarily distracted. But he tore his eyes away and brought his attention back to the dishes to finish them up and said quietly, “thanks for letting me stay a few days before the camp starts.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio looked back up to them in time to catch Kuroo-san raise his eyebrows like he was mildly surprised, and Daichi-san just laughed heartily while saying, “don’t mind.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio gestured to the table and started bringing dishes over. Suga popped around the counter to help and they made quick work of it, then everyone sat down to eat. Tobio ate quietly, while everyone else seemed pretty lively, talking about their random classwork and people they’d met. Daichi-san even mentioned switching majors like Suga had hinted at earlier. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“.. and anyway, I like the idea of working in the community like that, so that’s why.” Daichi-san finished saying in argument to some verbal needling from Suga about his studies. Tobio smiled at them while he listened, always amused by their back and forth.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wow Daichi-kun, you’re an everyday superhero type, ya know? So, Tobio-kun, I know you have a year and a half left, but got any plans for the future?” Kuroo-san asked, dragging his lingering eyes away from the Daichi-san to give his full attention to Tobio.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m going pro with volleyball.” Tobio answered.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oya, oya? Somehow I don’t doubt that!” He grinned like the Cheshire Cat and leaned back in his chair casually. Tobio tipped his head to the side slightly then shrugged and glanced over at Suga who was concealing laughter behind a hand. He watched his soulmate check his phone a moment later.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh! We should go call Tooru now, he should be awake!” Suga exclaimed suddenly, hopping up from the table and bringing an armful of precariously stacked dishes to the sink. Tobio watched him for a second, then got up too and carefully arranged a few more empty dishes into a neat pile before putting them into the sink as well. Suga was already buzzing down the hall towards his room, so Tobio nodded politely to Daichi-san and Kuroo-san before picking up his pace to follow him. He went into Suga’s room and gently closed the door behind him, then spied Suga already sitting on his bed with a laptop balancing on his knee. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s about eight in the morning there right now..” Suga said while focusing on the screen. He glanced up then pat the bed next to himself. Tobio obeyed the silent request and sat down next to him, then watched Suga fiddle with the video chat program before hitting ‘call Tooruchan’.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It rang a few times before Tooru’s face suddenly popped up on the screen. He looked a little tired like he had just woken up and he was wearing glasses. Suga grinned and said, “‘morning, sleepy-chan! Did we wake you?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio leaned into Suga’s space a little to get a better view of the screen, seeing Tooru’s image smile back at them, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>yahoo! No, I’ve been up for a little while. Are you saying I look tired, Kou-chan?! It’s the glasses. You could just say I look more mature like this, you know..”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga laughed and Tobio squinted at the screen, inspecting Tooru’s appearance with the glasses sitting attractively on his face before saying, “those look good on you.. how’s practice going?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh my, such flattery before breakfast? I’m truly spoiled.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Tooru grinned and ran his hand through his hair, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>practice is going really well. We have a few matches lined up over the next few weekends so it’ll be busy. How’s spring nationals prep going? I hope you thoroughly destroy those Miya twins again. Ugh, that guy really drives me nuts.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio blinked at the screen, now wondering why Tooru was also overly concerned about Miya-san, and said, “We’ll see what happens. Our defense and offense are a bit different now. You guys don’t have to worry about Miya-san.. I really don’t see why you’d worry about him.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Argh! He’s a talented player Tobio-chan.. not sure if he still holds ‘top setter’ in Japan.. I’m thinking that you may have snatched that title from him.. whatever, point is, you have a thing for setters!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Tooru’s image crossed his arms and he looked disgruntled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga laughed lightly then added, “He’s a bit, um, forward.. with his attention for you.. Tooru and I just want to make sure you’re aware of it is all..” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh. Well, don’t worry about him. </span>
  <em>
    <span>My</span>
  </em>
  <span> attention is somewhere else completely.” Tobio stated, looking at them in turn. Suga grinned back at him like he was appeased while Tooru scoffed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Well, if I was there, I’d probably have a little chat with the guy about where he keeps his attention..”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Tooru grumbled, barely audible. Tobio caught it anyway and smiled at the screen.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll watch out for it.” He said mildly, “I was bothered by him once before.. I’m not going to let that happen again.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At this, Tooru looked pacified as well and they continued to talk for a little while about how Tooru was adjusting to Argentina. Apparently, he was already learning quite a bit of Spanish, though his teammates easily spoke English with each other. Tobio was starting to get the idea that he’d have to concentrate more on actually learning a foreign language. He spaced out a little, listening to his soulmates chit chat about classes and roommates and other random things before volleyball was mentioned again which drew him out of his trance.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, anyway, because of the timing with classes right now and practice schedules, it’s not gonna work for me to join a team this semester.” Suga was saying, clearly finishing up a conversation that Tobio missed the beginning of completely.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Hmmmm. Well, that’s a shame. But maybe eventually..you probably hear a ton about volleyball everyday anyway with your roommates and Tobio-chan. Didn’t you say that Bokuto guy lives there too sometimes?”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Tooru replied.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah! This week is one of his busy ones though, so he’s not here at the moment. He’s hilarious, you’d like him, Tooru. He’s always asking me to set balls for him at the park across the street on Sundays when there’s no practice.. so I guess there’s that!” Suga said, smiling back at Tooru fondly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You get to set for Bokuto-san regularly?!” Tobio asked suddenly. He was impressed, jealous, and put out by this news; especially since Bokuto-san wasn’t around this weekend. He knew he had the youth training camp to look forward to and he’d be able to set for players like Sakusa-san, but Bokuto-san was also a top tier spiker and it would have been interesting. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga laughed brightly, “haha! Yes, he’s a cannon. Don’t mind, Tobio, I’m sure all of our schedules will work out during one of your visits eventually and he’d love for you to set for him too! I think he’s trying to expand his experience with different setters because he seemed really close with Akaashi-kun, but now he has to work with the setter for the Jackals. He was just complaining to me about it the other day, actually..”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m not surprised. Spikers get attached to their setters and don’t want to let go.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Tooru commented smugly, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>oh shit. It’s getting close to practice here, I gotta run!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh! ‘Bye, Tooru-chan, I miss you! Don’t work too hard, watch your knee.” Suga replied, smiling at the other. Tooru was smiling too and waving into the camera extravagantly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was a little goofy, very Tooru-esque, and made Tobio huff a few laughs, before he said fondly, “‘bye Tooru, love you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru visibly paled on the screen, his mouth hanging open slightly while stunned, but he blinked a few times and responded, “love you too, Tobio-chan...” then he ended the call from his side, leaving Suga and Tobio gazing at the blank screen.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tobio.. have you told him that before?” Suga asked quietly, peering at him curiously.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio looked back at him and shrugged, “hm. Maybe?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga just stared at him for a bit before an incredulous smile appeared on his face, “well, I’m sure he’ll have an interesting day now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why? Because he’ll be late?” Tobio asked, not getting the connection between what he said and how it would affect a whole day.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmmm. Nope. I bet you just made his day.” Suga answered, beaming at him with mischief, “anyway, what do you wanna do now?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Dessert.. and milk,” Tobio said while contemplating what Suga meant. He had just stated the truth. It just wasn’t clicking on how it made anything. He shrugged to himself and started to get up. Suga was grinning and following him, but snagged his hand, preventing him from going any further. His soulmate wrapped his arms around him in a hug and Tobio returned the gesture, running his hands up and down Suga’s back a few times before he asked, “you alright?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mmhm, I just missed you.” Suga said, hushed, while holding onto him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I missed you too,” Tobio said back in a low tone, then bent forward and kissed him gently.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They got sidetracked for a while in each other’s arms, but ended up making it back to the kitchen, both a little flushed. Daichi-san was there, looking like he was nearly done with washing the dishes and he raised his eyebrows at them when they entered the space. Suga just waved his hand around, muttering a ‘don’t mind’, while Tobio grabbed some pudding cups for them out of the fridge. The three of them decided to watch a few movies, Kuroo-san joining them too halfway through; and they all stayed up way too late.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The next morning, Tobio found himself lounging on the couch watching an old volleyball match on the tv while Suga finished up an assignment for school. The latter sat beside Tobio with his laptop perched on his legs, typing away furiously like he couldn’t be bothered to slow down. Tobio mused that it was probably because they had made plans to go out on a lunch date afterward and it seemed like Suga was really looking forward to it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A minute later, Daichi-san walked out into the living room in nothing but a towel wrapped around his hips like he had just got out of the shower. He seemed energized and a little panicked, while his eyes darted around the room, clearly searching for something. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What’sup?” Suga said blandly with his eyes still trained on his laptop screen. Tobio just peered at Daichi-san, wondering vaguely if he needed help with something.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I need that shirt. You know, the one for that class, but I can’t find it. I think I left it out here?” He walked over to a side chair placed by the couch and shuffled around some pillows and a rumpled blanket. Apparently, he found what he was looking for and shouted, “ah hah! Gotcha!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kuroo-san walked into the living room from his bedroom at that moment and stopped in his tracks, staring at Daichi-san. Then he burst out laughing, incredulously, somewhat gratingly like a hyena. Tobio had already noticed Kuroo-san and wasn’t surprised by his outburst, but the other two jolted. Suga looked up from his laptop and scowled at him while Daichi-san turned to face him, obviously making sure not to lose his towel despite being startled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well well well, this is interesting. We’ve been friends for a long while now. Didn’t see this coming at all. How is this possible, I wonder.. we live together? Oh for fuck’s sake, if Kenma knew all along and didn’t say anything, I’m going to kill him.” Kuroo-san said, not really to anyone in particular. He took out his phone from his pocket and looked like he was typing out a very agitated text. Tobio tilted his head in question, then noticed Kuroo-san’s typically covered up arms were now exposed as he was wearing a tightly fitted, short-sleeved t-shirt. His soulmate tattoo was fully bared and extremely familiar with pitch-black silhouettes of cats twisting and turning around a rope-like pattern forming a band that circled the bicep. Tobio flicked his eyes over to Daichi-san to confirm. The latter still looked completely confused and dripping a little bit on the floor from his wet hair, Tobio noticed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He looked back over to Kuroo-san and said, “oh. Nice. Good luck.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ehh? What’s going on-“ Suga began, then stopped. He stared at Kuroo-san for a few seconds before slowly turning back to Daichi-san, “oh my..”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Daichi-san continued to look like a deer in headlights, completely stunned and basically naked in the middle of the room. Kuroo-san pocketed his phone with a heated flourish then put his hands on his hips and glanced down at the floor for a moment like he was steeling himself. He looked back up, focusing his gaze on Daichi-san and sauntered over to him, reached out with a finger, and tapped the other’s soulmate tattoo, “we need to talk. Preferably, now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio, just like Suga, couldn’t seem to look away from the situation and just watched as Daichi-san looked at his own arm where Kuroo-san had touched him, then moved his eyes to Kuroo-san’s exposed arm. He finally seemed to come to terms with reality and he drew in a quick breath of surprise; But he stayed silent like he had lost his voice in his shock because he just continued to stand there, rooted to the spot. Kuroo-san waved his hand in front of Daichi-san’s blank face a few times before the latter stirred and focused, “yeah. Okay, yeah. I, uh, should put clothes on first..”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oya? Not necessarily, but if you want,” Kuroo-san smirked, then moved aside to let Daichi-san pass him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Whoa... okay! That’s our cue, then, Tobio-chan,” Suga said brightly, then jumped up from the couch, abandoning his laptop on the coffee table and grabbing Tobio’s hand to pull him up. Tobio let himself be pulled along and followed Suga’s lead as he grabbed a few things like his phone, wallet, keys, and made for the front door. Suga walked out the front door and locked it behind them once Tobio was outside too. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wow.. I just.. I can’t believe that just happened.” Suga said, a little frantically, turning to Tobio, “how did we have no idea?! We’ve all been living together for half a year!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio frowned, “well, I’ve never seen Kuroo-san’s tattoo, he’s always covered. I mean, I only knew it was on his arm because I’ve seen him wearing an armband when he wears his jersey for games... Daichi-san never said that he had any ideas before?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nope! But I guess.. he’s usually covered up too, now that I’m thinking about it. Their tattoos are pretty high up on their biceps too, so I guess even a shorter-sleeved shirt would cover half of it most of the time anyway. It’s unlike ours, which is in plain sight unless we wear long sleeves..” Suga said and he seemed a little shocked, stuck in a light reverie, “wow. I’m just.. shocked... you know, Daichi’s a bit of a romantic too and into the soulmate thing. I’m not sure if he ever even considered his soulmate would be a guy though... he had a small fling with Michimiya-chan, you know, the captain of the girls' volleyball team, same year as us?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio nodded along like he knew all about Daichi-san’s love affairs, but he really didn’t. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well.. they’ll decide what they want either way, right? Looks like we’ll just go to lunch a little early then,” Tobio said in a calm tone, grabbing Suga’s hand and lacing their fingers together. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, let’s go,” Suga responded a bit dazedly, but looked Tobio in the face and smiled, then started to lead them away down the street.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0037"><h2>37. SK</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Suga sat in the stands among a huge crowd of people in the sports complex where spring nationals were taking place. All eyes were on the center court, watching the semi-finals match between Karasuno high and Itachiyama Institute. Suga watched the rally, sitting on the edge of his seat as Itachiyama was at match point. It was amazing to see how far Tobio and the other former first years took Karasuno, competing at nationals every opportunity except for one Interhigh where Datekou won back in Tobio’s second year. But Tobio was a third-year now, Suga reminded himself, and he would be graduating soon. Very soon, actually, shortly after nationals were over. Suga let out a long breath he had been holding as the whistle blew, signaling that Itachiyama scored the winning point. Just like that, the match was over, and Karasuno placed top three in the nation for the tournament. It was incredible, really. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He squinted down at the court while the players lined up and thanked each other for the game. Karasuno then came over to the stands to show gratitude to their supporters and Suga caught Tobio’s eye, giving him a little wave. His soulmate smiled back briefly, not looking too disappointed by their loss. It was hard to complain about placing in the top three though and Tobio had become very level-headed about winning and losing matches as time went on. Suga noticed that even Hinata, Yamaguchi, and Tsukishima didn’t look too devastated. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I guess we all grow up and even out.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A little later, Suga found Coach Ukai, Takeda-sensei, and Hitoka-chan in the lobby, waiting for the rest of the team to finish packing up then head out to eat. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Suga-chan! It’s so nice to see you again! You’ll come with us to eat, right? Anyone else with you?” Takeda-sensei greeted him genially. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hi Take-chan! It’s great to see you too! Sure, I’ll come along if you’ll have me. It’s just me this time, as far as I know,” He smiled at his former advisor and Coach Ukai gave him a hearty pat on the back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga gave Hitoka-chan a quick hug, “that was a great game. It was really close at the end there..”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yep. Sometimes you just take it as far as you can. No one’s guaranteed a victory.” Coach Ukai said in solidarity with Takeda-sensei nodding along, “Tobio-kun was in excellent form the entire tournament, like a machine.. I’m assuming that’s why you’re here to watch?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga grinned and nodded, “yeah, we’re still together.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Coach Ukai smiled lightly and nodded his approval. Suga didn’t really need it, but it was nice to see that Tobio was supported by people close to him. Just a moment later, the rest of the team rounded the corner rowdily, making quite the ruckus. Tobio soldiered forward in silence while Hinata was practically skipping and shouting things loudly across him to Tsukishima, who was peering back at the shrimp incredulously. Suga noticed Yamaguchi walking on the other side of Tsukishima and twisting his body back and forth between patting Tsukishima’s shoulder consolingly and trying to placate the other team members that were trailing them. Suga laughed at the sight and watched like he was being teleported back in time when he was in Yamaguchi’s position, picking at the little chicks in an attempt to keep them in line. He noticed Hitoka-chan gave him a curious look, but he just hid his smile away behind a hand and waved off her curiosity with the other. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As they approached, Suga couldn’t help but smile brightly at his soulmate, realizing that he looked even taller and more handsome than before. Suga sighed, mentally berating himself for being so sentimental even though it had only been a few months since the last time they saw each other in person. It felt like Tobio’s third year had gone by in an instant. But he felt like the same thing had happened to him, too.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio was looking over at their small group now and paused for a second, clearly realizing Suga had waited for him with the coaches. It looked like he picked up his pace as he marched right over to Suga and scooped him up into a tight, enveloping embrace. The others caught up moments later, and Suga could see them staring with open hanging mouths. Tobio didn’t seem to care, giving Suga a really lengthy squeeze then he pulled away but quickly leaned back down to whisper in Suga’s ear, “Thanks for coming to my last match with Karasuno. It means a lot.. I’ve missed you, it feels like it’s been forever.. You look really beautiful. Maybe I should be worrying about someone trying to snatch you away from me?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga froze for a second while Tobio leaned back and gave him some space, then he playfully smacked him on the shoulder, “you’re welcome, wouldn’t have missed it... thanks”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright team! Let’s go eat and repair our bodies!” Yamaguchi said in a raised voice, clearly wanting to herd them all along. Suga beamed at him, absolutely thrilled to see how well he filled out the captain’s role after being such a meek first year once upon a time. Suga was starting to feel the bittersweet bite of nostalgia again, and had to focus on something else. It was almost surreal, being with them like this so much further down the road than before. He felt Tobio guide him forward with a hand on the small of his back, almost like a gentle reminder that some things were still the same even if the gesture wasn’t really intended that way. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They all sat at a huge table in a local family-owned restaurant for dinner. Suga sat on the end of the table next to Tobio, then Hinata, Tsukishima, Yamaguchi, Hitoka-chan, and the coaches, while the unknown first and second years sat across on the other side. Suga smiled pleasantly across the table at them while they just stared back, looking equal parts intrigued and mystified.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tokita, stop staring. You’re going to burn a hole straight through Suga-san’s head.. and then we’ll all have hell to pay.” Tsukishima remarked, sounding annoyed while he perused a menu. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m so sorry!” The guy, Tokita, apologized then asked, “Um.. are you foreign?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmm? No.. I’m from Sendai.” Suga replied, still smiling but gave him a bemused look.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hinata piped up, smirking at his kouhai, “come on, Tokita-kun, you know that’s Kageyama’s soulmate, Sugawara-san..”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah.. yeah. It’s just hard to imagine Kageyama-senpai with someon-..” Tokita said absently, not finishing his thought out loud. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>One of the other second years put in quietly, “doubt that.. I bet you imagine it all the time..”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga raised his eyebrows at the snarky remark, a grin building on his lips and he caught Tsukishima actually laughing too, expertly hiding it behind the menu. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shut up Shoji-kun.” Tokita griped, shoving the other roughly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So what position do you guys play again?” Suga asked lightly, taking up his menu and looking it over lazily. This was starting to feel like a very weird double date.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m a wing spiker!” Shoji-kun said brightly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Libero..” Yaotome-kun added, still blatantly observing Suga. He decided not to care and just ignored the scrutiny. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll be the setter... oh.. I’ll be the setter at Interhigh next..” Tokita paled like he had just realized this was their last game with Tobio and the other third years.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You know, I taught him everything he knows.” Suga looked at him slyly, not really meaning it, just attempting to lighten the mood a little bit. Tokita-kun looked awed with his mouth dropping open. Suga flicked his eyes over in time to catch Tobio giving him a side look and shaking his head just a tiny bit like he picked up on the fact that Suga was teasing his underclassmen. He could have sworn he heard him mutter, ‘Koushi..’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, yes, we all know you taught him loads of things on </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> off the court..” Tsukishima said sardonically, putting his menu down and gazing at Suga pointedly. The latter saw the beginnings of a smirk playing on the snarky blonde’s lips.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tsukishima Kei!... that’s true though.” Suga looked back at him sternly, “Still! I’ll give you a  good smack, ya beanpole! Seriously, did you get even taller? How?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tsukishima threw his hands up in surrender and shrugged, but that smirk was still lingering. Yamaguchi laughed and slumped over the table with his face resting in his palm casually, “Ah, I miss this sometimes. Suga-san, it’s kinda pointless now, since this was our last game and it’s time to move on.. but how did you do it? I remember Ennoshita-san having a rough time for a bit.. but it worked out because he was actually pretty stern and scary!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shoji-kun visibly straightened up, like he was desperate for pointers on team management. Suga smiled blandly, “oh you know, a little stick, a little carrot. Tobio-chan was the hardest one to wrangle in, to be honest.. but I think there was a lot going on there..” he said the last little bit more to himself, but shook himself of his reverie and looked across at the younger teammates slowly, in turn, and holding them in place with his gaze. “You guys will be fine.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They all just nodded slowly and stared back at him as if mesmerized. Hinata laughed brightly at them while he asked, “geez, what’s wrong with you guys?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga just smiled amiably and continued to gaze at them, waiting to see how long it would take for them to break from their strange little stupor. He felt Tobio touch his leg from under the table and he turned only partially to look at him in question. Tobio leaned in closely to whisper in his ear again, “hey.. stop intimidating my teammates.” Suga gave up on his staring contest, putting all his attention on Tobio instead and took note of the blank expression plastered on his face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga hummed in question, giving Tobio an enchantingly sweet smile, and said quietly, yet still probably audible by the people at the end of the table, “hmm? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio just gazed back at him for a few moments before his plastered expression flaked away and he laughed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oohhwaahh! What’s so funny? What happened?” Hinata chirped, looking between them. Suga noticed they had drawn the attention of the entire table at this point and even Coach Ukai and Takeda-sensei were looking over curiously at Tobio’s laughter. </span>
  <em>
    <span>So, he still doesn’t laugh too often, huh? </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga grinned, looking back around to Hinata, “it’s nothing, don’t mind!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio apparently decided to ignore everyone else around them and reached out to Suga, running his hand through his hair and tucking a bit behind his ear for him then whispered again closely, “seriously though.. I can’t look anywhere else but here. I hope you’re not getting jealous over some underclassmen?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?! I.. I’m not!” Suga replied hotly, but a little taken in by Tobio’s unintentionally seductive charms. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How about you convince me?” Tobio said in a low, hushed tone, still sounding incredibly too sensual for this type of atmosphere. Suga blinked and started to wonder if his soulmate was doing it on purpose to derail him. He knew it was silly to get jealous over every random person who was interested in his boyfriend, because Tobio had made it clear in his ever blunt manner that he was only interested in his own soulmates; but it was hard not to think a little possessively when he hadn’t seen the other in so long. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga leaned over, barely grazing his lips against Tobio’s ear, and whispered back, “fine, I’ll admit it..” then he brought a hand up to Tobio’s cheek, cupping it lightly, and kissed him. He felt instantly relieved when Tobio kissed him back. Not that he was unsure of their footing together, but the distance made him a bit uneasy. Especially since they were unable to meet frequently over the past year. Maybe it was more strained than he thought. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright. Come on, guys.. seriously, it took you all of fifteen minutes before you caused a scene. Kageyama, we’re in a restaurant, not a garden... prune the flowers later.” Tsukishima commented, seeming even more agitated than before. Hinata was just laughing loudly, and didn’t let up when he glanced at the first and second years. They were obviously in very real shock after witnessing the entire spectacle. Tobio didn’t let up though as he kissed back even more deeply, probably having been spurred on by Tsukishima’s quip. Yamaguchi was frowning and rubbing his temples with his hand, clearly too exhausted to put out the fire at this point. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oi! Kageyama-kun! Cut it out or I’ll kick ya out!” Coach Ukai called out from the other side of the table. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At Coach’s not so subtle urging, Tobio pulled away and nodded curtly back at him from across the way. Coach just rolled his eyes then went back to his conversation with Takeda-sensei, who looked quite bemused. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hah!” Hinata pointed at Tobio, “you got yelled at by Coach!”  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio looked like he couldn’t care less about this fact though and shrugged nonchalantly, like he hadn’t just used his relationship as retaliation to a verbal attack. Suga sighed, leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table and resting his cheeks in his hands. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Now that brings me back. I can’t even count the number of times we walked by on you guys behind the gym..” Yamaguchi said lowly and Suga sensed a little sourness too. He wondered idly where that was coming from, and if he had made any progress on his own soulmate conundrum. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmmm? Ah yeah.. piece of advice,” Suga said casually, looking back at the underclassmen, “don’t make out behind the gym, you’ll be interrupted,” and he winked at them for good measure</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0038"><h2>38. KT</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The school gym was silent as Tobio took off his school uniform jacket and dropped it on the ground. He placed his diploma on top then rolled up his button down shirt sleeves. It was just after the graduation ceremony and this would probably be the last time he would ever have a chance to hit volleyballs in this gym again. He picked up a ball and spun it deftly in his hands like he did every time before serving. The ritual was so ingrained at this point, it was probably necessary to serve right. He tossed the ball into the air, sprinted forward, and jumped into the air after it. Reaching the perfect height, he swung his arm around full force and rammed the ball forward in a pretend service ace. Out of nowhere, an orange blur sprang into view and perfectly received the serve, bumping it right to where the setters position would be if there were actually people here playing a game. Tobio smiled and put his hands on his hips, having seen that bump get better and better across three years now. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, you’re really going to Brazil?” Tobio asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yep. The beach is calling.” Hinata said, grinning back, “so, you’re really going straight into the V-league?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, but first with the national team. Olympics are next year and I’ve been scouted.” Tobio replied. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hinata rocked on his feet a bit and nodded before saying, “I’ll be doing the Olympics too. Maybe not this time around with you, but next time for sure. You just wait.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I believe you.” Tobio nodded back at him, like they were making a promise to each other. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Argghh. So you’ll be training in Tokyo then?” Hinata asked quietly, “you’ll be with Suga-san?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio nodded again then said, “I’m moving in with him soon, since I’ll be joining the national team’s practices next month.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uwaah. I’m so jealous! Seriously, how did you of all people manage to find your soulmates </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> keep a solid relationship with them?” Hinata responded grumpily, huffing, and crossing his arms.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hm.” Tobio hummed and looked off to the side for ideas of what to say to Shrimpy about soulmates, “you never really bring it up.. what’s going on with yours?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Haaaaah...” Hinata let out a strained sigh, “well I still don’t know both of them, just the one. And I don’t think I really made any progress on that front either. Volleyball is so important to me so I spent my time concentrating on that and my soulmate doesn’t seem to like me even after all this time and I don’t think he even knows it’s me that matches him anyway. Kind of.. out of sight out of mind? I don’t know. Maybe once I’m back from Rio I’ll have a better idea of what I want to do about it. Loads of people don’t even meet their soulmates until college age anyway, so what’s the difference putting it off now? I was being serious earlier, I don’t know how you manage the long-distance thing with them.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, everyone just does what they want,” Tobio stated simply like it was obvious, “either you’re willing to want it and work for it or you’re not.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah.. I guess it’s really that simple huh?” Hinata grimaced and Tobio nodded. Hinata suddenly lobbed the ball back to Tobio, who caught it easily, “one more!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio spun the ball in his hands then tossed it up to serve just the same as before, but aimed for the opposite side of the court this time, wanting to push Hinata’s limits until the very end. The small guy flashed across the court and received it again, perfectly. It flew up in a beautiful arc to the setters position on his side of the court then fell and bounced lightly off the ground, echoing around the gym. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“See ya later, Kageyama!” Hinata grinned at him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, see you later,” Tobio replied, smiling back, and watched him snatch up his own uniform jacket then leave the gym. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A few weeks later, Tobio found himself standing in Suga’s room, cutting open one of his packed cardboard boxes with a box cutter. He opened the box and mentally reminded himself that it was their room now. Suga had insisted that they should share, even though Kuroo-san had migrated into Daichi-san’s room and Bokuto-san was fine sharing with whoever. Tobio was a little worried about infringing on his soulmate’s space, but Suga always dismissed the idea, loudly arguing that they had spent enough time apart anyway. Maybe it was because he hadn’t really lived with anyone in so long, he was a little uncertain if he’d be a burden or not. In the end, he decided that it was for the best not to argue anymore and just go along with it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A moment later, Suga walked into the room and Tobio flicked his eyes up to him, tracking his movements. The other was carrying a small box in his arms and gracefully set it down on the floor before drawing himself back up and putting his hands on his hips, surveying the room. He was always effortlessly elegant. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wanna unpack all of it today, or a little over time?” Suga looked up at him, and tilted his head like he just realized he was being watched, “everything alright?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I think so. It’s a little weird living with others now. I don’t want to use up all your space..” Tobio trailed off, unable to bury his concerns any longer.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmmm... listen Tobio, you’ll never ever be a burden to me. Did you want to find a place by yourself instead?” Suga asked calmly, but he looked a little anxious.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, definitely not. I want to be here.” He answered and abandoned his box, walked over to Suga, and wrapped his arms around him. He didn’t budge, hoping that his feelings would just seep into his soulmate by touch alone, and Suga didn’t seem to have a problem with being stuck there. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Knock knock..” Daichi-san’s voice called out from the open doorway to their bedroom, “Tobio-kun, we grabbed some dinner for everyone as a welcome home present.. you guys ready to eat?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, thanks Daichi-san” Tobio looked up from where he had buried his face in Suga’s neck, “we’ll be out in a minute.” Daichi-san just laughed as he walked away. Clearly, he was already used to the sight of them together like that and it wasn’t surprising anymore.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Koushi.. thank you, really,” Tobio whispered in his ear. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga looked up into Tobio’s eyes and smiled fondly at him, “you’re welcome, really.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They made their way out to the kitchen and found Daichi-san and Kuroo-san looking through pizza boxes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Welcome home, Tobio-chan,” Kuroo-san greeted him, grinning mischievously and grabbing a slice of pizza, “a little birdie told me you’re starting practice with the national team this week. Just zingin’ straight to the top, huh?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, I’ve played with a few of the members of the team before at the youth camp, so we’ll see,” Tobio replied, grabbing his own slice too. He saw Suga and Daichi snag some too and exchange a loaded look. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I bet..” Kuroo-san said vaguely, eyeing him curiously. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And I bet you’ll get to play with Ushiwaka. I think I heard something about him being on the national team right now too. I can’t decide if we should tell Tooru.” Suga put in then took a bite of his slice, getting sauce on his cheek. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio leaned over and carefully wiped it off with a finger before saying, “he’ll find out anyway when he watches the games. I know he’ll watch, even if he says he won’t.. so I don’t think it’ll make much of a difference if we tell him or let him find out on his own. Either way, he’ll be mad.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ahh.. maybe he’s past it.. it’s been years since all of that,” Daichi-san argued, but he didn’t sound convinced either.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga just laughed brightly, “Nope! He’s probably still really pissed about that! He’s, um, the stubborn type..” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s a nice way of saying it,” Tobio said quietly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tobio-chan! I didn’t know you could be sarcastic?!” Kuroo-san added, smirking.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio looked at him, puzzled, and said “Hah? Sarcastic? No, I meant it.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He didn’t know what was so funny about the idea that Tooru was a really stubborn person, but apparently, it was because the others all burst out laughing. They carried on like that for a few minutes before calming down and taking some deep breaths.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You sure are fun!” Kuroo-san said, wiping his eyes like they were leaking. Daichi-san gave Kuroo-san a shove with his shoulder but he was still grinning too.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tooru once said that Tobio was a barrel of laughs,” Suga smirked and put his hands behind his back, feigning polite innocence, while the other two started laughing again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio shrugged, realizing that they were definitely poking fun at him in some way, but he really didn’t mind. He would be the first to admit that he was a bad communicator anyway. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once they finished the pizza, they all agreed to watch movies in the small living room space. Tobio sat down on the couch and Suga came over to him, sitting on the floor in front of him nestled between his knees. The other two sat next to each other on the other side of the couch and Daichi-san put on a movie about space explorers. Tobio idly thought of Tooru and his love of outer space and aliens, deciding that he’d probably really like this movie. He smiled to himself and started playing with Suga’s hair since he was sitting right in front of him. He soon discovered that it was actually really relaxing to sit like this and just run his fingers through Suga’s silvery hair while they watched the movie; even though he didn’t usually like watching movies very much.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After a while of methodically sweeping his hands through his soulmate's hair, he felt the latter slump against his knee slightly and he signaled Daichi-san with his hand. When the other looked over, Tobio whispered, “did he fall asleep?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Daichi-san looked curiously at Tobio, then bent forward to spy on Suga’s face. He leaned back again and gave a thumbs-up sign. Tobio let out a relieved sigh and kept up his caressing, whispering again, “I think I worried him earlier. I didn’t mean to.. just said something wrong. Anyway, I can tell he’s really stressed right now. How are classes going?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Daichi-san looked back at him with raised eyebrows, and Kuroo-san peered over with a look of surprise on his face too, and the former said, hushed, “yeah.. he’s been saying they’re fine, but I know he’s started working on his thesis project for his degree and it’s been a lot. He tries to hide it.. I’m surprised you caught on so quick.. it’s only been an afternoon since you got here..” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re real perceptive there, Tobio-chan,” Kuroo-san whispered too. Tobio just shrugged and looked back down at Suga, running his hand through his soft, light hair one last time before stopping. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m going to bring him to bed,” Tobio whispered and maneuvered his body around so he could easily hoist Suga up in his arms. Once he was sure of his leverage, he lifted Suga off the ground and headed to their room.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As he was walking, he distinctly heard Kuroo-san comment, “wowza, I wonder if that’s part of the pro-athlete boyfriend package? And you’re telling me Suga-chan has two of those?” Then some light laughter from Daichi-san. Tobio smiled to himself, not minding their teasing in the least, because now he got to be around his soulmate all the time and the fact was finally settling in. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He gently laid Suga in bed and pulled the covers over him then went back to that abandoned box from earlier. He spent the next hour shuffling through his stuff and putting it away as silently as possible which turned out to be doable but exhausting. After making a sizable dent in the unpacking process, he left the few boxes that remained and turned off the lights. He crawled under the covers too then scooted right up against his sleeping soulmate, wrapping his arm around him comfortably and fell asleep in seconds.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0039"><h2>39. SK</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Suga woke up with a start to his alarm sounding off cheerfully in the quiet room. He rolled over lazily, swatting at his phone to shut it up. His hand accidentally knocked it off the nightstand and he watched it fall and thump onto the floor, still singing out happily. Groaning, Suga rolled halfway out of the bed and snatched it off the floor, jabbing the off button indignantly. He shimmied back onto the bed and sat up partially on his elbow, looking around at the meager amount of boxes left to unpack. It looked like Tobio had unpacked a ton of boxes last night after he had fallen asleep. Now that he was thinking about it, he was starting to wonder how he ended up in bed last night in the first place. He had a good guess though, knowing Tobio and his tendency to carry Suga places after he had fallen asleep; and now that he was thinking of Tobio, he wondered where he could be. He yawned and stretched, sitting up fully and dragging himself out of bed towards the door. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The kitchen ended up being pretty lively this morning. Tobio was cooking up something for breakfast while wearing a towel around his neck and athletic clothes like he had just got back from a run. Daichi was sitting on a stool and loudly talking about one of the new classes he’d need to complete to become a paramedic while Tobio nodded along politely, shuffling something around in a pan. Tetsu-kun was there too at the kitchen table typing away on his laptop, glancing up at the others occasionally. Suga hummed to himself and watched them all for a few minutes before he fully entered the kitchen and slumped down onto a stool by Daichi. He saw Tobio glance over him briefly before returning to his pan and fiddling with the burner heat. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“‘Morning, sleepy-chan,” Tobio called out, but kept his focus on the sizzling stuff in front of him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga smiled, probably looking as tired as he felt, and replied, “good morning. I saw you got through most of the boxes.. I must have been out like a light, I didn’t hear you at all.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You seemed tired.. I was quiet,” Tobio replied, looking over his shoulder and actually flashing Suga a smile. It looked like Tobio finished what he was making as he quickly arranged everything on four plates, then made his way around, delivering a plate to each person. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Huh? Oh! Thanks, Tobio-kun,” Daichi said in surprise, clearly not expecting his new roommate to make him food. Testu-kun had a similar reaction, glancing up disbelievingly from his laptop and muttering a quiet ‘thanks’. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio handed Suga a plate too then he was retreating back to the kitchen for his own plate but Suga caught his hand and pulled him into a hug. It was a little goofy, since Suga was sitting on a stool and his head was basically level with Tobio’s midsection, but he wrapped his arms around him regardless and smooshed his face against his shirt. Tobio smelled really familiar and nice, like fresh, clean sweat from his run earlier, but also a pleasant antiperspirant, and Suga just wanted to stay there and breathe him in. Tobio actually laughed a little and Suga felt fingers slide through his hair a few times before those same hands patted his shoulders, signaling to be released. Suga let go and watched him as he walked briskly back into the kitchen, grabbed his plate, and came back to sit down at the table where there was room as Daichi and Suga were occupying the only two stools currently at the kitchen counter. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I need to eat this real fast and maybe have a quick shower if I have time.. practice starts soon. How long do you think it'll take me to get there?” Tobio asked, then started shoveling bites of omelet into his mouth. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmm.. maybe about twenty minutes including boarding the train and all that,” Suga answered and took a bite of his own omelet, a soft ‘mmmm’ escaping him from how delicious it tasted. He saw Daichi nodding in agreement out of his periphery. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh.” Tobio said, then somehow finished his last bite and Suga just stared, wondering how he swallowed it all down in a blink. Tobio was up and washing his dish in the sink faster than Suga could follow, then he disappeared down the hallway. It was crazy how quick he was when motivated. Suga just shook his head and worked on eating the delicious breakfast, too groggy to really put energy into thinking about Tobio’s precise motions.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio reappeared not even a full ten minutes later, freshly showered and in clean athletic clothes, hiking his gym bag over his shoulder as he made his way swiftly over to Suga. The latter just watched him approach, raising his eyebrows at this human whirlwind. Tobio bent down and pecked Suga on the lips, then said in a low, hushed tone, “I love you. Have good classes today, okay?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga just blinked and nodded absently, which was apparently enough of a response for Tobio because he spun around and dashed out of the apartment. Suga tilted his head curiously towards the front door, trying to adjust to all the bustle. It was definitely a different type of morning than he’d previously experienced and it left him a little mystified.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oya oya oya? Is Suga-chan all hung up now? That was the most bizarre tornado of affection I’ve ever seen.” Tetsu-kun retorted from his laptop, taking a bite of omelet, “.. seriously, where did that prickly kid learn to cook like this?!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah.. he grew up a bit..” Suga answered, not really thinking about it since he was still scrutinizing the empty entryway to their apartment like it would give him some clues, “..alone.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Immediately after divulging this fact, Suga shook himself from his contemplative trance and looked at Tetsurou, realizing that he probably shouldn’t have said something so personal. Tetsu-kun was already gazing back at him with a mix of interest and concern, “oh, really? Well. He’s definitely not alone now. Doesn’t seem like he has been the entire time we’ve all known each other..”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey Suga, I really hope you’re not stressing about your relationship with Tobio...?” Daichi asked while eyeing him suspiciously. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“... no, it’s just.. I don’t want to put pressure on him and scare him away somehow. He’s got a lot lined up already and I don’t want to get in his way. I just know he’s going places, ya know? It’s so obvious because he’s so talented. And yesterday he said something about living with others and he sounded uncertain.. he’s not uncertain about things.” Suga explained a tiny slice of his worry. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Suga-chan.. I don’t know if you’ll take this to heart, but that guy is most definitely head over heels for you,” Tetsu-kun said, giving him a pointed look then returning his eyes to his work. He continued after a beat while typing, “you know, now even more so than before. And believe me when I tell you that he’s been looking at you like that for a really long time. First time I saw it was right after you guys beat us at nationals.. so take that and run with it like I’ve known you to do, okay? They say setters are like the brain of the team, but we all know that they’re the heart.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Daichi smiled and gazed at Tetsu-kun while he spoke looking sweetly amused, and nodded along in agreement, “it’s true Suga. The way he takes care of you.. he cherishes you. Do you need me to sit here and give you examples?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga laughed, finally easing up a little bit from the stress, “Ah hah! No, please don’t. Not sure I could take it, I’d go running off after him. I-I don’t think it’s just the soulmate bond. I know the bond makes things feel.. right? Like things are in place, or as they should be? You’ve felt that before?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He looked at them in turn, seeing Daichi glance at Tetsurou quickly before nodding in affirmation, while the busy one just flicked his eyes to Suga for a moment before saying, “yes, eerily so.. to be honest, it’s what made me decide to room with you guys in the first place. Other than the fact that it was convenient we were all going to the same school. It felt right. Of course, I obviously didn’t realize why for a long while even after that..”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I, um, always felt that.. sensation.. whenever our schools had practice matches. All those away camps in Tokyo were a little confusing for me, trying to nail down that feeling. Back then, I think I just associated it with being-a-Captain-stress and called it a day.” Daichi added, openly watching Tetsurou now. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Same,” Tetsu-kun looked up at Daichi and grinned. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, I’ve always had that pull towards Tobio. I jumped in headfirst without even knowing him, the pull was so strong. I’m.. I’m so glad I did. I’m so glad I believed in the soulmate bond. I love him.” Suga said quietly, realizing that admitting this out loud to his friends was a little unnecessary but it helped to strengthen his resolve. He wanted his soulmates, and he would have them for as long as possible. He peeked at the time on his phone then jolted off the stool, “crap! I have class in fifteen minutes!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Later that evening, Suga finally made it back home after his classes were done. Mondays were the longest days for him this semester because of the way his schedule turned out, but it seemed doable even though he often came home exhausted. He opened the door to the apartment and was met with a tantalizing smell floating around in the air. Taking off his shoes quickly and tossing his bag on the floor in the entry, he went into the kitchen and found Tobio standing there by the counter with Koutarou-kun, sipping a cup of tea. The latter was loudly talking about practice and spiking Tobio’s tosses from what Suga could tell. In all of the action of moving Tobio’s boxes and helping him start to unpack and then falling asleep, he had completely forgotten that Bokuto was signed on to the national team too. The energetic guy played in the v-league for the Black Jackals as well, but he was attending the Olympic Games with Tobio next year, so of course they would practice together. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“... and then it was like POOF! And the ball was just there! Seriously Tobi-kun, you’re like a magician! Are ya really a wizard?! Cause Agashi was tellin’ me about this book he was reading and they had magic and could like, POOF!” Bokuto was saying excitedly, waving his arms in the air for effect. Suga sniggered at him, but mostly at Tobio’s mildly confused expression.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, Bokuto-san, I don’t have magic powers. But your spike was really sharp!” Tobio replied and took another sip of his tea. Suga cleared his throat, and they looked over at him. His boyfriend smiled which lit up his face handsomely as always and said, “Koushi.. welcome home. I made dinner, come sit down. How were your classes?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga headed towards the table but made a pit stop to give Tobio a kiss on the cheek first before making his way over to a chair. He sat down, resting his elbows on the table and his face in his palms before he answered, “it was long, but that’s just how Mondays are this semester. How was the first practice?” Suga caught Koutarou-kun openly beaming at them as he came over to the table and sat down too. As if a silent, beckoning alarm had sounded, Daichi came walking into the kitchen closely followed by Tetsu-kun who joined them at the table as well.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It was really good! The facilities are amazing, like always. But it’s really nice to train in them and know you get longer than a week. The team’s pretty deep with players, but Coach told me today that I’ll be the setter in the games, so I’d have to work hard to get to know the other players. So we spent some time just setting up spikes so I could figure out where everyone’s levels were and their maximum impact points. I think I can push them though. Right Bokuto-san? I think we got you a few centimeters higher today. And those cameras on delay are so helpful, you can really make quick adjustments to form just by watching the cameras because of the delay they’re set to.” Tobio relayed calmly, quietly, but excited in his own way. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Heck yeah!” Koutarou-kun shouted, jumping up from his chair and leaning his weight on his hands on the table, “I was like whoosh up in the air and Tobi-kun popped that ball just a teensy bit higher than I could usually hit, but it was still like POOF and I just thought, yeah man, I can totally reach that. So I did! Because it was right there, like POOF!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Makes me want to experience this ‘poof’ as well.. I kinda want to play some weekend to spike a magical ball..” Tetsu-kun put in, grinning sardonically like he was actually amused by Bokuto’s use of sound effects. Daichi was just watching, looking entertained by everything going on in general. Suga was glad the atmosphere of the house didn’t seem knocked off-kilter by Tobio’s presence. He remembered that when he talked to his roommates about having Tobio move in, they all seemed agreeable, but he didn’t know how it would actually turn out. Luckily, Tobio seemed to fit right in with no fuss. Regardless of how blunt a communicator he was, he was always overly polite when it came to household niceties. Suga sighed in relief, realizing that this was something he was stressed about too in the very back of his mind, but didn’t need to be.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That sounds really great!” Suga said and smiled at his soulmate, then he groaned, “arrrgh! I’m just so impressed!” He immediately got up and swept over to Tobio, wrapping his arms around him tightly. Tobio seemed startled for a second by the sudden onslaught of affection, but reciprocated the hug, patting his back like he was consoling him. Suga heard Daichi and Tetsu-kun laughing with Koutarou-kun exclaiming ‘what? What?’ at them cheerfully. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, are you alright?” Tobio had leaned down and whispered in his ear. The breath of his words tickled Suga’s skin and made him shiver a bit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m fine, just realizing I’ve been worrying about things I didn’t need to worry about in the first place..” Suga answered, then ran his hands up Tobio’s chest and around his shoulders, linking them behind his neck before saying impishly, “oh my, Tobio-chan, have you been working out?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio stilled, then leaned back to look Suga in the square in the face, “Koushi.. that’s basically what I do all day, everyday..?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga grinned at him, thrilled that he completely missed the joke. He heard Tetsu-kun cackle loudly and Daichi snort but quickly turn it into a cough. Suga huffed a laugh then remarked, “mmhm, keep it up!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He let go and brushed his hand across Tobio’s cheek clumsily before he made his way back to the chair he had left and plopped back down. He glanced back at Tobio who was apparently watching him walk away with those sharp blue eyes like he was hungry and thinking of devouring Suga himself. Suga tilted his head, really wondering what went on in Tobio’s mind sometimes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Let’s eat dinner,” Tobio said and dragged his eyes away, then started to plate food for everyone. Suga just gazed at him while he moved around the kitchen smoothly like he had been living with them this whole time despite just moving in yesterday. Blinking a few times, he realized he had been staring and he shook his head and looked over at Daichi, who was already looking back at him with an amused expression and raised eyebrows. Suga just waved away his amusement flippantly with his hand as Tobio approached and started setting down dinner for everyone. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, hey, hey Tobi-kun, thanks! You didn’t have to make me anything, but that’s really nice of you!” Koutarou said happily, immediately taking a bite, “whoa! This is awesome! What is this?!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio answered Koutarou quietly while passing around plates, “oh, uh, spicy mapo tofu.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thanks,” Daichi said while accepting a plate from Tobio, “is this going to be an everyday thing? Making everyone food? You know, you really don’t have to do that, Tobio-kun..”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, don’t mind. I’m making food anyway. It’s not much different making extra, since I’m already cooking,” Tobio said, completely serious, “if you don’t want it though, let me know and I’ll just eat it as leftovers later.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Daichi looked perplexed, then smiled genially, “well, I’ll definitely eat if you’re making it anyway.. thanks Tobio-kun.” Suga smiled at his friend, knowing that defeated look as he watched Daichi give in to Tobio’s sincere nature. Having handled this side of Tobio for a while now, Suga had long ago given in to the gentle, hospitable facet of Tobio’s personality. Everyone would just have to come to terms with the fact that it was nearly impossible to refuse him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They all finished up the meal pretty quickly, especially since it was as delicious as always, and Suga made tea for everyone before returning to his seat at the table. Tobio sat up on a stool and leaned back on the counter edge casually, looking relaxed and content. Suga glanced over again and realized he was gazing at him intently, almost piercing him with his focus. Suga had thought he’d seen this kind of look before, but he was unsure if Tobio knew he looked as salacious as he did sitting there like that. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m misinterpreting him again, for sure. I always do this.. it’s just him being super attractive. He’s not trying to be that flirty. Get a grip. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s up, Tobio-chan?” Suga asked, taking a sip of tea.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I have something special in mind for dessert.” Tobio replied easily with his lips upturning a little, not at all helping to diminish his appeal. Actually, it had the complete opposite effect.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga choked briefly on his tea, sputtering a bit, “o-oh really?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He subtly took in his friends’ reactions to this new conversation, wondering if Tobio really did look as sensual or sound as flirty as he thought he did. Tetsu-kun and Daichi both had looked over from where they were having a side chat about something or other and Bokuto was leaning on the table with his elbow, resting his head in his hand while watching them. He had an openly curious look on his face like he couldn’t wait to discover what Tobio’s dessert plans were, but it was impossible to tell if he thought they were as sordid as Suga did. Daichi and Tetsu-kun on the other hand both looked equal parts curious, amused, and incredulous, which screamed that they thought Tobio looked provocative too.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Before he had a chance to ask a follow-up question, Tobio replied while still looking at Suga with that same lazy, hungry expression, “yeah, I found this bakery when I was walking back to the train station after practice. I picked up some of those cream puffs you like so much. Want one?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmmmm? That sounds really good.” Suga answered, completely on autopilot while his brain took a few extra seconds to catch up. He watched Tobio get up and wander into the kitchen, fishing a little indiscriminate box out of the fridge. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You see what I mean, Suga?” Daichi said quietly while Tobio was out of earshot, leaning towards him and smirking, “he dotes on you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, he’s definitely winning the housemate of the year award... I almost feel like I’m intruding on newlyweds..” Tetsu-kun added, smirking at Suga as well. Suga zipped across the table and flicked him on the forehead for his cheekiness. Tetsurou scoffed and rubbed his forehead while Suga leaned back into his seat, accepting a cream puff from Tobio who had made his way back to the table already. Tobio brought the desserts over for everyone to share and offered the box around. It didn’t take long to enjoy the sweet treats and as soon as Suga finished his, Tobio appeared right next to him and started softly tugging his hand to lead him away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Help me finish unpacking?” Tobio said in his low, hushed down. Suga nodded and let himself be swept up and away by Tobio’s momentum, like usual. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once they were back in their room, Tobio closed the door behind them and lightly guided Suga back against it, kissing him deeply like he had been holding back the urge all evening. Suga returned the kiss while winding his hands up Tobio’s body and into his hair, his fingers getting lost in the inky black strands. Suga was starting to get the idea that his soulmate was looking for more than just help with unpacking, and he was more than pleased to oblige.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0040"><h2>40. OT</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>A nice breeze swished past Tooru, ruffling his hair along the way as he walked a path right next to the beach. He happened to be in Brazil for a volleyball tournament and was on his way out to eat with a few of his teammates. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nice kill!” An excited shout came from the beach and Tooru looked over, finding it weird that he heard someone speaking Japanese and using volleyball lingo on the beach. Glancing over, his eyes were immediately met with a bright orange ball of excitement that was a way too familiar reminder of home. </span>
  <em>
    <span>No way. No way chibi-chan is standing in that sand, playing beach volleyball with a bunch of random locals...</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p><span>“Wait, what? Oh you’re kidding me.. seriously, here of all places?! you have to be kidding me?!”</span> <span> Tooru exclaimed, not quite believing his eyes, “how is this even a thing?!”</span></p>
<p>
  <span>“The great king?!” Hinata yelled, clearly just as surprised. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru walked a bit closer, muttering to his teammates that he’d be a minute. Chibi-chan met him halfway and they stared at each other for a minute in mutual shock. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, well, well, you’ve actually grown, Chibi-chan!” Tooru said, flashing the shrimp a charming smile. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Great ki- I mean, Oikawa-san, why’re you here?!” Hinata asked brightly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmm? That’s my question, thanks, don’t steal it..” Tooru said haughtily, peering down at Chibi-chan.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Me? I came to train on the beach!” Hinata replied happily. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh?! Tobio didn’t mention that...figures,” Tooru said more to himself then looked back to Hinata who was still grinning vaguely back at him, “Hah... sheesh, you sure are a scary one, Chibi-chan!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Tooru, do you know him?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” One of his teammates asked in English, looking over Hinata curiously.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Oh! Um, he’s a middle school kid living in my neighborhood.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Tooru answered in English,   jokingly because he doubted Chibi-chan spoke it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Uh huh..”</span>
  </em>
  <span> his teammate said, unconvinced.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oikawa-san.. I do understand basic English, ya know?” Hinata grumbled. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru stifled a laugh and his teammates said, </span>
  <em>
    <span>“we’re going to dinner</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Tooru just replied back a quick ‘okay’ and refocused on his former volleyball opponent. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The beach, huh? I get it. Let’s take a pic real quick!” Tooru said, giving Hinata a once over to glean how much he’d changed since he was a first year. The small guy really had gained some height, but he was still petite. Very well toned, but short, especially for a person still pursuing professional volleyball. It had literally been years since he’d seen the guy and it was wild that they’d be standing here on a random beach in Brazil together. It made him think of Tobio and Koushi, which in turn made him feel a little homesick for a moment. He took out his phone and snapped a quick shot of them both making a goofy face with the beach as a nice backdrop. Like lightning he opened his social media app and uploaded the picture with the caption ‘look who I found in Rio!’, then slid the phone back into his pocket. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yep! So what are you doing now?” Chibi-chan asked, still maintaining that brilliant, shining presence just like old times.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I play for the Argentinian league now.. Club Atletico San Juan.” Tooru answered, smiling.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The shrimp looked quite shocked and sputtered out, “they’re neighbors with Brazil! Wait! Why are you playing in Argentina? I’d always assumed you’d go to Italy or something?! What about Kageyama and Suga-san? Kageyama’s been nailing it in the v-league back home... he’s setting for the Olympic team too for the games this year. They’re happening in Rio, too.. but I’m not sure if I’ll get a chance to see him while he’s here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know, right?! A classy place like Italy totally suits me.. not that I’ve been there..” Tooru said, gesturing in the air dramatically and Hinata just stared back at him with his mouth hanging open, a glazed look glossing over his face, “.. would you not look at me like that, please? Anyway, my soulmates and I are doing the long-distance thing for now so we can all do what we want career-wise.” The shrimp nodded briefly, looking a little blank for a second.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oikawa-san! Let’s play some volleyball! I want-“ Hinata started to say enthusiastically before his stomach very loudly growled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru squinted at him imperiously before dropping the expression and saying, “ya know, I was just getting ready to get some dinner.. show me where the good places are around here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oooooh! I know one that’s really good and really cheap! It’s got healthy food too!” Hinata exclaimed, looking exceptionally giddy. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sounds good, sounds good. Let’s go, my treat.” Tooru replied, smiling back as he couldn’t help it with that type of enthusiasm staring him straight in the face. Hinata suddenly looked like he was on the verge of tears, gazing back at him in stunned awe. Tooru waved his hand around in front of his face, “what?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Um.. during work today.. I - I lost my wallet.” Hinata replied, clearly close to weeping at this point. But Tooru thought this was hilarious, the whole situation really. Meeting the shrimp here, offering to buy him dinner, and maybe even play some beach volleyball was so random.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They made their way to the restaurant Hinata had suggested and ordered several large portions of the special offered. After digging in, Tooru was pleased to discover that Chibi-chan was right and this restaurant was spectacular. He gave the guy a thumbs up and mumbled ‘good’ while in the middle of a big bite. Chibi-chan responded in kind with his own jumbled nonsense full of food and they both swallowed then laughed at each other. Hinata was really easy to get along with, which was a nice change.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Have you watched any of Kageyama’s matches lately?” Hinata asked while shoveling more food down.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru scoffed to himself and leaned back casually in his chair, then responded nonchalantly, “no.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He saw Hinata give him a very skeptical look then shrug it off after a beat and he asked, “so what took you to Argentina?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s a bit of a long story..” Tooru said, looking into Hinata’s face curiously. He continued anyway after a pause, “ya see, back in elementary school, there was an exhibition match between Japan and Argentina held in Sendai. At the time, the Argentinian team had an up and coming new hitter who was ace material. He was an absolute terror for the first part of the game, but towards the middle, his play started to fall apart. He wasn’t doing too great, and just when it seemed like they were going to sub him out, they switched their setters instead. The new setter was a veteran player, thirty-eight years old, and he was quiet and pleasant the whole game. He didn’t send too many balls to the out of sorts ace, but the balls he did send were easy to hit and allowed him to score when he could. So the ace returned to top form and by the end of the game, he was even the main point scorer for the match. The whole arena went crazy for the ace’s spectacular recovery.. but to me, the real star was the one who quietly got the ace back on track and walked off the court without any fanfare. His name was José Blanco. He’s who inspired me to be a setter. Anyway, I ended up getting a towel autographed by him... though it did go through the wash once...”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He wasn’t sure why he was spilling the entire truth of the story to Hinata at this moment, when he hadn’t even been this straightforward with his own soulmates. But maybe it was the homesick feeling spurring him on to be completely open for once.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Pfft” Hinata snickered then asked, “oh, wait a second, Jose Blanco?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, he was a coach in the v-league until about four years or so ago,” Tooru replied, resting his cheek in his hand and watching Hinata’s expressive face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh yeah! The Tachibana Red Falcons!” Hinata shouted excitedly like he was on a game show.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru smirked at him, “exactly, and guess what? I got a chance to talk to him in high school.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oooh that’s so cool!” Chibi-chan shouted again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Right?” Tooru nodded smugly, then continued his tale, “my coach had a friend on the Falcons.. anyway, after the spring qualifiers that year, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to keep playing volleyball. So I asked if I could meet up with him for some advice. Of course he knew right from the beginning that the ‘not sure’ thing on my part was just an act... He ended up giving me some advice about learning your limits and what that means.. I’m not going to go into it, but I knew right then and there that I wanted to learn from him. But of course, he went back to Argentina the very next year! Still, I knew I was going to break into the foreign leagues at some point.. that just bumped up the schedule a little bit. The stage I will one day play on hasn’t changed a bit.” Tooru leaned back and analyzed Chibi-chan’s unusually contemplative face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And your soulmates.. ended up being ok with all this long-distance? Even though you knew both of them and could have played in the v-league back home?” Hinata asked quietly with a much more reserved attitude than before like he was really scrutinizing his own choices and not Tooru’s.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmmmm. Yes, they were. I think.. we all saw that the balance would need some level of independence in being free to do what we wanted. You know, as much as I hate to admit this.. Tobio-chan was the one who first talked with me about that balance within the soulmate bond. Gross, I despise how insightful he was that time..” Tooru pulled a disgusted face, but relaxed upon seeing Hinata’s disbelieving shock and continued, “it’s true. Though I wouldn’t ever tell him that. Whatever, the point is, you have to understand the balance and it’ll all work out. Whether the bond ensures it or the people, or both, it’ll work out.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He tipped his head to the side in astonishment as he could nearly see the wheels turning in Hinata’s head at his little speech. But it was no use to dwell on things that could have been when you could focus on moving forward so he said, “ya know, I figured I pulled a pretty crazy stunt doing all this.. but to come all the way to the other side of the world just to play beach volleyball..?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey! Now that you mention it, let’s go play now! People are out playing on the beach until pretty late around here!” Hinata popped up from the table completely energized. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oho! So you think you can take me on, huh? I wouldn’t be so self-assured, Chibi-chan!” Tooru retorted, but got up too and followed Hinata towards the exit. While they were walking along, Tooru checked his phone and realized he had gotten some text messages during dinner.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Group chat with Sugawara and Kageyama “setter soulmates”</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Mr.Refreshing&lt;3 </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>8:27PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>TOORUCHAN! YOU SAW HINATA?!?! Ohmygod that’s crazy!!! How is he?! How’s Brazil?! Oh, I guess it’s not too different than what you’re used to anyway right now, right? Didja play beach volleyball with him?!</span>
</p>
<p><b><em>Tobio-chan&lt;3</em></b> <b><em>8:30PM</em></b><b><em>: </em></b><span>did he get any better yet?</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru laughed to himself and Hinata looked over curiously at him so Tooru said, “ah hah! They saw our pic! Kou-chan and Tobio-chan are asking after you now. Well, well, aren’t you a popular one!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ehh?!” Hinata squawked in surprise, “I’m fine! Tell Kageyama I’m going to beat him for sure when I get back!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru raised his eyebrows at the small guy then looked back at his phone screen to type a message.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Aliens&lt;3 </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>9:04PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>oh my, what’s this now? You’re unconcerned about how I’m doing in Rio and just wanna know about Chibi-chan??? Tobio-chaann, the shrimp says he’s gonna beat you next time. Haha! But ultimately, I’ll beat you both, so don’t worry too much about Chibi-chan &lt;3 ;)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Tobio-chan&lt;3 </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>9:05PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>we’ll see. but i doubt it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Mr.Refreshing&lt;3 </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>9:06PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>oooh! Now isn’t this fun! This really brings me back. Tooruchan.. we talked with you on video chat yesterday. You said Rio was going well so far. Is everything ok?? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Aliens&lt;3 </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>9:07PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>:</em>
  </b>
  <span> oh! Yeah, Rio has been great so far, really. It was a surprise to run into Chibi-chan is all. I’ll admit it made me a bit homesick.. :(</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Tobio-chan&lt;3 </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>9:08PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>:</em>
  </b>
  <span> we miss u &lt;3</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Aliens&lt;3 </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>9:08PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>:</em>
  </b>
  <span> OMG TOBIOCHAN did you really do a heart for me? I’m so touched! </span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Mr.Refreshing&lt;3 </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>9:09PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>:</em>
  </b>
  <span> hahahhahahahaahhahaha! It’s true tho &lt;3 &lt;3</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Aliens&lt;3 </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>9:10PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>:</em>
  </b>
  <span> looks like we made it back to the beach! We’re playing some volleyball now! Time to teach this shrimp a lesson! Adios! :D</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru grinned and joined Chibi-chan on the sandy beach within the court boundaries. He noticed his footing seemed a little uneven with the undulating sand beneath his feet, but it wasn’t too bad. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chibi-chan bumped the ball towards him and dove to receive it, completely slipping in his footing on the sand like he was wearing roller-skates and fell sideways with a ‘bwaaphh!’.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He got up on his hands and knees indignantly, shaking sand off his face, and griped loudly at the shrimp, “Okay! This is </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> volleyball! It’s a completely different sport that just pretends to be volleyball! I’m a beginner, go easy on me!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wow! I’m feeling so superior right now! To the great king even!” Hinata buzzed about excitedly over the rippling sand and Tooru peered at him in mild contempt.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well aren’t we blunt today?!” Tooru replied venomously, still somewhat stuck down on the sand.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, Oikawa-san?” Hinata said, smiling brightly at Tooru while he stood up and brushed himself off, “earlier today, for a minute.. just one short minute.. I actually got kinda down and depressed. But seeing you has put me in a super-duper extra awesomely good mood! Thanks!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh? Treat me to lunch sometime then.” Tooru smiled haughtily back at him. But in reality, it was really nice to see Hinata too since it was such a pleasant remanence of home that would no doubt tide him over until he could make a trip to visit. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Just then, two locals walked over to the pair and asked somewhat rudely if they wanted to have a game. There was no way Tooru would back down, even if the sand was unnervingly deceptive. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They started up the game and Tooru immediately went to his go-to jump serve, tossing the ball into the air and chasing it like always. However, when he went to smack the ball, it had shifted in the air with the wind and wasn’t in reach anymore. Both Tooru and the ball fell with a soft thump on the sand and he grimaced at it. He didn’t think about the wind. Their opponents started cackling gleefully at Tooru and he felt a little embarrassed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey! It was the wind, okay?! Take a hint, would ya?! Take a hint like the wind took that ball!” Tooru shouted, gesturing wildly at the air around him. Even Hinata snorted a laugh at him though, apparently thinking that nature playing tricks on Tooru was funny. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru concentrated pretty hard on the rest of the game, asking for tips about the difference in rules between beach and indoor volleyball, and learning to account for the wind. But in the end, they totally lost. After treating the winners to some drinks, they walked along the beach and Tooru contemplated their loss, wondering how fast he could adapt and win with the shorty. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oikawa-san! Oikawa-san! How long are you going to be in Rio? Where are you staying? Let’s trade contact info! Please? Please?” Hinata piped up excitedly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Calm down! Geez! The teams here for a week for some practice games. We’re staying in a hotel not far from here.” Tooru answered, throwing his hands up placatingly to get the small fry to calm down.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ooh oh! Then let’s play again on the beach here! Your sets are super duper awesome an’ I wanna hit ‘em again!” Hinata all but shouted in his excitement. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru grimaced to himself, knowing that it would be a little tricky to fit in beach volleyball on the side after having practice all day. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Uggghh this feeling.. it’s so good to be praised on my sets! It’s been so long since my team’s so used to me now.. can’t resist!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Maayyybe? I might? Possibly? If I can find the time? If I can somehow make room in my schedule, I might not be entirely against the idea?” Tooru responded begrudgingly, coming to terms with the fact that it was hard to deny the shrimp and he was bound to be exhausted from all this extra work. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thanks so much!” Hinata wailed happily, bouncing around on his endless energy. They briefly exchanged their phones to input each other’s numbers.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Still.. aren’t you afraid that getting too used to the quirks of beach play will come back to bite you, once you’re back on the regular court? With all that soft sand to dive on, won’t lunging on a hard court be scarier?” Tooru asked out of pure curiosity. The sand was definitely a different monster. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It does lots! That’s why I joined a local junior indoor team.” Hinata replied smugly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tch! You think of everything, dontcha?” Tooru asked, peering at him quizzically, “you spent so much time building up your skills on the court, and now you’re going to set all that aside, just to start over again at level one on the beach? Doesn’t it suck to be a beginner again?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hinata gazed back at him for a beat then answered, “well.. ya know, if I’m being honest.. I don’t mind leveling up. No matter how hard or easy the skill, getting good at something new is always fun.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mmhm, so you’ve convinced yourself, then?” Tooru asked feigning innocence, but poking at Chibi-chan’s resolve.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I.. I don’t have to convince myself!” Hinata retorted, a little disgruntled. Tooru just laughed and gave him a nonchalant ‘uh huh’ in return then waved goodbye and headed back to the hotel. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The very next night Tooru had gotten a mountain of texts from Chibi-chan asking him to play beach volleyball again, so he decided to go ahead and meet up with him. It was only for a week anyway so it was pointless to let the opportunity get away from him. Besides, Hinata’s presence was fun and it reminded Tooru that volleyball was fun. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He found himself standing on that same beach, smiling blandly across the net at the same locals from before who had defeated them mercilessly only the previous night. Hinata spoke to them in Portuguese, which was a bit of a shock but made sense since he currently lived there. But it was strange to hear anyway. He was making some sort of deal for protein shakes if they won, but Tooru wasn’t sure since he didn’t speak Portuguese even though it was similar to Spanish; he wasn’t sure about some of the words. Regardless, the locals readily agreed to the deal and they started up the game. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru was impressed when the shrimp made an amazing dig right off the bat from the opponents’ serve. Although he did shout, “Woo! I did it!” with a look of disbelieving joy on his face that kind of ruined the effect. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru laughed and praised him anyway, “hah.. nice dig!” Then he focused on assessing the wind and his opponents' positions. He lobbed the ball up with a perfect arc to the complete opposite side of the court for Hinata to hit. Chibi-chan leapt into the air with full confidence to smack that ball down and Tooru grinned as he watched the wind shift the ball slightly as it descended right into his teammate’s swinging hand. They scored the point and Tooru gave Hinata a high-five for that stellar spike.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The game continued and Hinata looked really happy but also frustrated at the same time as it looked like he was also having his own private battle with the elements. It was really comical but a little concerning at the same time. Tooru was about to ask if he was alright but then the guy seemed to hype himself up anyway. Tooru grinned at the guy’s persistence, then shouted to the locals across the net, “let’s see you hit my jump floater!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru couldn’t keep the grin off his face while he chased the ball around in the sand along with Hinata. The strange circumstances he found himself in really made him reflect on his own resolve. </span>
  <em>
    <span>When you dedicate yourself to pushing higher, you’re gonna have to expect the hard times to outweigh the fun. It gets to the point where you believe that if it isn’t hard, if it isn’t rough, then you aren’t giving it everything you can.. yet, without any rhyme or reason, from time to time, something fun will just.. hit. Out of nowhere.. it’s that fun that keeps pulling me onward. Volleyball is fun. Every time I forget that, it comes back to remind me.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A moment later Tooru crashed into the sand, sending it flying around him, but it didn’t matter since he was having a blast. He shouted a cheery ‘shut up!’ at his opponents who had clearly made fun of him for the dive and got up, shaking off some sand. He glimpsed some teammates from Club Atletico off to the side too and grinned. They verbally jabbed him a few times about hustling better on the sand and he griped at them while leaping into the air to block an oncoming spike. Hinata dug the ball and bumped it back to Tooru who got under it swiftly and sent it back in another perfect arc. Chibi-chan got blocked though and the locals scored the point. That one-point loss didn’t matter though, because the small fry was starting to hop up from his diving receives with crazy agility and was drawing all eyes to him. Tooru smirked to himself realizing that his attention had been drawn to Hinata as well. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Hmph. Chibi-chan has just as a disgustingly big presence on the sand as on the court. Ooh! I know what this means!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As soon as the ball was in his reach to set back to Chibi-chan, he twisted his body elegantly in the air and spiked it down himself in a setter’s dump. After he landed and saw the incredulous looks on both his opponents’ and Hinata’s faces he laughed gleefully. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“They were right! Beach volleyball is way waaaaay more direct!” Hinata said in awe, staring off into space.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Huh? What are you talking about?” Tooru asked, giving him a once over for head injuries. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh! And Oikawa-san, do you have eyes in the back of your head?!.. it went right to the opposite corner..” Hinata asked, muttering the last bit more to himself. Tooru raised his eyebrows at the guy, then asked slyly while ruffling the hair on the back of his head, “how did you know?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Bwah?!” Hinata squawked. Tooru turned around to see if their opponents were ready to start the next rally, but he could feel Hinata’s eyes boring a hole in the back of his head like he actually believed his joke. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s important to watch what your opponent is doing, yeah.. but you also have to keep in mind how they see you too,” Tooru told him smugly while looking back over his shoulder at the guy. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In the very next rally, Tooru slipped while bumping the ball which made Hinata need to set for the next point instead of himself. It was obvious that the shorty could accomplish so much more, even on the unstable sand, if he was just nudged to do so. Tooru dashed around Hinata to get in a better spiking position and shouted, “challenge time!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hinata looked panicked, twisting himself around while trying to figure out where Tooru had gone exactly, but set the ball anyway and shouted back, “challenge time!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru smiled and spiked the ball down for a point. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ooh not bad, Chibi-chan! You’re going to be trouble one day! </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Geez Oikawa-san! You surprised me!” Hinata exclaimed, clearly exasperated that he was expected to set the ball from a wonky position when that wasn’t the obvious play. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“On the beach it’s just the two of us, so that means a whole lot more chances to touch the ball. It’d be a total waste if we didn’t try new stuff!” Tooru grinned back at him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oikawa-san.. you really are the greatest!” Hinata shouted happily.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know, right?.. where’d that come from?” Tooru said, a little shocked by the sudden praise. But with that last surprise strategy and point, they had won the game.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They hung out with the locals a little longer and ate dinner together since Tooru decided he didn’t want the locals to have to treat him to protein shakes. He was a professional volleyball player after all, and regardless of sand, it felt a little unfair.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The next morning, Tooru was scheduled to leave to go back to Argentina and was pleasantly surprised when Hinata popped by his hotel to say goodbye as he was making his way to the airport.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well then, take care of yourself Chibi-chan.. no.. Shouyou.” Tooru said and held out his hand to shake Hinata’s, who grabbed it in both of his own, looking really pleased.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You bet I will! Thanks so much for everything!” Shouyou shouted, getting a little teary-eyed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No problem. It was a pretty refreshing change of pace for me too. Heck.. it felt like I’d gotten a second chance to play volleyball for the very first time again. Thanks,” Tooru said, then after a pause, “anyway, you’re going back to Japan in two years, right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yep!” Hinata replied, smiling easily.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“M’kay! Just remember, I’m going to beat everyone. Be ready!” Tooru said, staring him down.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hinata looked happily bemused, “sure!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh, you’re included in that, ya know? Show some fear, would ya?” Tooru laughed, then waved and started to walk away, “ah well. See ya later!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Later!” Hinata called out cheerfully and Tooru smiled. He missed home. He missed his soulmates. But being able to fully commit to something he’d been working hard for as long as he had been was worth it. Starting over at level one with Hinata, just for a few days, reminded him of that; and he wasn’t one for letting go.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0041"><h2>41. KT</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Tobio glanced at his phone for the directions again to the studio where he was heading, they weren’t too complicated but he was taking his time getting there since he really didn’t want to be going in the first place. It was a few months after the Olympic Games in Rio and he was persuaded into shooting a promotional commercial and doing an interview for a magazine. He almost refused outright, but it was Kuroo-san asking and it was hard to say no. The latter was a sports promoter for the Japan Volleyball Association now and had spent a lot of time slowly arguing with Tobio that he had to use his newfound popularity to help raise interest in the sport. After a lot of lengthy, argumentative texts, Tobio had finally agreed and was attempting to locate the right building for the commercial shoot. He was mildly irritated that he was missing practice for this type of stuff since the next tournament was right around the corner. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Finally spying the sign for the studio company, Tobio pushed open the door and bowed to the excited looking assistant who basically sprinted to welcome him inside.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Welcome! Thank you so much for agreeing to do this shoot, Kageyama-san!” The small lady squeaked. Tobio nodded back at her politely and followed her while she gestured over to the director.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah! Kageyama-san! Welcome, welcome! You were great in Rio! I mean, five service aces against France in a row! Spectacular! So, we’re promoting curry. We have a little script you can read off this cue card here. Easy! When we’re all set up, you just look in the camera and read the lines and that’s it! Ahh.. Kuroo-san mentioned you weren’t too keen on film or photography or interviews for promotion, so we’ll make this as quick and painless as possible!” The director spilled out in a rush, looking very pleased and apologetic at the same time. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, um, thanks,” Tobio replied and bowed to him politely. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Great, great, great! So go get changed and we’ll fix up your makeup and all that, then we’ll get going!” He said, nodding along at his assistant who immediately appeared beside Tobio again and started herding him away towards some clothing racks.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was as if Tobio blinked and he was already in different clothes, with a little makeup on, hair fixed perfectly, and sitting at a table with a bowl of curry in front of him. He kind of wished Kuroo-san was there to help him relax a bit, but that wasn’t necessarily his job. The snarky cat was right when he claimed that Tobio had gained a lot of popularity since the Olympic Games. He was the youngest person there for volleyball and ushered Japan to the top with his gameplay and precise setting, taking the team to win bronze. He shook his head a little, realizing that the assistant was babbling away at him about the camera or something but he accidentally didn’t pay attention.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, okay! Let’s get started! We only have time for just a few takes, but I’m sure it’ll be fine! So! When I say ‘action’, you eat the curry, then read the line. Got it? Ready?” The director said very quickly and Tobio barely had time to nod in acknowledgment before he said, “action!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio blinked in surprise, then looked down at the curry and hurriedly shoveled a few bites into his mouth, chewing and swallowing it down as quickly as possible. He looked off to the side where the cue card was then stared back into the camera and read off the card using a neutral, low tone, “power curry is a service ace.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Perfect!” The director shouted, “alright! Let’s get a few more takes just in case and we’re good to go! Kageyama-san, try to sound a little more enthusiastic, like you really love the curry! Okay? Okay.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A few takes later and they were done. Tobio tried to read the card differently each time, but it all sounded about the same to him anyway. He didn’t really care. Next up was a magazine interview that Kuroo-san had conveniently set up to coincide with the commercial shoot so Tobio didn’t have to go to a different place. Kuroo-san had mentioned that the reporter was very eager for the interview and didn’t mind coming to the studio to record it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio checked his phone idly after getting changed back into his normal clothes while he waited for the interviewer to show up. They had finished the commercial shoot quicker than anticipated and moved on already so he had a few minutes to spare.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Group chat with Sugawara and Oikawa “setter soulmates”</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Me </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>4:34PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>: </em>
  </b>
  <span>i don’t think that was a good use of time...</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Koushi </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>4:35PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>:</em>
  </b>
  <span> oh? That bad huh? What was it for anyway?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Me </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>4:36PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>:</em>
  </b>
  <span> idk. Curry</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Koushi </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>4:37PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>:</em>
  </b>
  <span> Hahahaha!!!! Well, curry is good, right?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Me </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>4:38PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>:</em>
  </b>
  <span> i think mines better</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Koushi </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>4:39PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>:</em>
  </b>
  <span> haha!! I bet it is!! :) just have the interview to go and then you’re done?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Me </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>4:40PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>:</em>
  </b>
  <span> yah i’ll be home after </span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Tooru </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>4:40PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>:</em>
  </b>
  <span> oh???? Tobio-chan, how does it feel to be a big shot commercial athlete? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Me </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>4:41PM</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>:</em>
  </b>
  <span> what are u doing up so early? Oh the reporter just got here. Gotta go</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Kageyama-san? I’m Yamaha Yukkie from Sports Scene magazine. We scheduled an interview through Kuroo-san!” The interviewer said brightly, giving Tobio a very thorough once over. Tobio nearly felt his skin crawl at the scrutiny with it being so obvious. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh, yes, that’s me.” He replied, frowning slightly. The interviewer beckoned him to follow her to a small table and chairs and she set up a laptop.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll be recording your responses and typing some notes during the interview, is that okay?” She asked sweetly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure,” Tobio said blandly. He really didn’t want to do the interview either, but this is what comes with competing well at worlds levels. He was even recognized and stopped in the streets at least a few times a week, so it was glaringly obvious that he was a popular professional athlete now.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Great! So, you’ve gained a lot of popularity since your spectacular gameplay in the recent Olympics games held in Rio. How did you feel going into those matches, since it was your first experience </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> being the youngest player?” Yamaha-san asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Umm.. it felt like a match. All matches feel the same to me. You never know how the game will turn out, so I just played like usual.” Tobio replied, wondering if all the questions were going to be along these lines.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I see! Well, I know everyone was shocked when you scored five service aces in a row against France! How did you manage that? On this level of play, it’s unlikely that servers get more than two consecutive points..” Yamaha-san asked, staring him straight in the face expectantly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio shifted in his seat slightly, taking a moment to consider how to answer, “well.. the opposition had holes in its defense based on the skills of the players and how they were positioned on the court. I just aimed for the holes.” Tobio answered. He wasn’t sure if she wanted to chat about strategy or his feelings again. He’d rather not chat about either.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah! And how was it adjusting to the national team? There are loads of more experienced players on the roster, was that intimidating?” She asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Eh? It was pretty easy. I knew some of the players from before from other national tournaments. I think.. as the setter, it’s not intimidating to play with more experienced players. It’s exciting.” Tobio answered, tilting his head in confusion a little at the idea of being intimidated by excellent players who he got to push to make even better.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh really?! So, if there’s something really challenging about being a setter, what would you say that is?” She continued her questioning happily. Tobio was relieved that his answers seemed satisfactory so far and the questions weren’t too bad.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmm. I would say it might be putting up balls that are the easiest to hit for the spikers while also pushing them to make plays that will score points.. but in a way where they still have complete control over their hit once that ball leaves my hands.” Tobio said, frowning in thought. It was the most concise way he could think of to describe his own challenge with setting for others, but the blank look on the reporters face sort of said she didn’t follow.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah hah! I see.. well it certainly seems like there’s a lot to consider when you’re on the court! So, you also play for the Schweiden Adlers in the v-league, is that right? How do you feel about the upcoming national tournament that starts in about a month?” Yamaha-san asked, completely moving past Tobio’s previous answer. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh! I’m really looking forward to it. I have an old friend who’s just joined another v-league team and we’ll be facing off against each other for the first game of the season. We haven’t been on opposite sides of the court since middle school.. so it’ll be interesting.” Tobio replied honestly. He was looking forward to seeing Shrimpy again after so many years and hoping he was going to prove to be a challenging opponent this time around.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How wonderful! That sounds like a really nice friendship! Speaking of friends, do you spend a lot of time checking out your social media following?” Yamaha-san inquired, smiling coyly at him. This idea caught him slightly off guard. Suga had joined the fan group out of curiosity and to see what they said, but Tobio never really looked at it. If something crazy happened on the internet that he was discussed in, he was sure Suga would say. He gazed back at the interview for a beat. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Why is she bringing up social media stuff?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, I.. uh, don’t follow it too closely..” he replied slowly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But surely you’ve seen that a picture of your soulmate tattoo has been leaked? There’s quite a lot of people claiming you online right now.. have you contacted any of them to find your soulmate?” Yamaha-san asked while smiling, looking really pleased like she had just won a prize at the fair.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hah?!.. I’m sorry, what?” Tobio asked, having a hard time keeping his tone even with this unexpected news.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh! Sorry! I didn’t mean to alarm you. But yes, I looked into the fan group a bit before our interview and there are loads of people trying to match you. So, I take it that you didn’t know this and haven’t been in contact with any of the potential matches?” Yamaha-san said very quickly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah.. no, I had no idea.” Tobio closed his mouth after a second, realizing he had been gaping at the interviewer in his stupor.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, I’m so glad to have been able to get you updated! Now that you </span>
  <em>
    <span>do</span>
  </em>
  <span> know, are you going to contact anyone who’s asking to confirm a match?” Yamaha-san pressed onward.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No. Why?” Tobio asked, furrowing his brows in confusion and staring at her with his typical neutral expression now that he had gotten over the shock.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh.. well.. don’t you want to find your soulmate? In the past, when professional athletes’ tattoos have been exposed, there’s a lot of buzz around connecting people.” Yamaha-san asked and now looked confused. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio nodded along while she spoke, then replied, “I see. Well, I don’t see why I’d need to connect with anyone saying they’ve matched my tattoo. I’ve already found my soulmates, back in high school.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh my gosh! That’s so exciting! You just have to tell me all about that! There’s nearly no info out there on you and your preferences! People just don’t know!” Yamaha-san exclaimed and nearly sprang out of her chair.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio raised eyebrows at her, “uh.. what does that have to do with volleyball?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It has less to do with that and more to do with growing your own reputation as a professional athlete, since you’ll be in the public eye all the time..” Yamaha-san responded quietly, then she continued a little hesitant, “you know.. if you give me some details, it might be better for your image. So people won’t make things up or invade your private life trying to find answers for themselves.. I truly am surprised that you didn’t know about your soulmate following.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmm.. I guess. It’s not like it’s a secret or anything like that.. I just thought this was supposed to be about volleyball, but whatever. I have two soulmates who I met in high school. I’m with both of them, although one of them lives abroad at the moment playing volleyball professionally like I do but in a foreign league. The other lives here and is a teacher. Preferences…? I like milk and yogurt. My favorite color is black. I don’t have a favorite animal. We don’t have any pets because of our apartment’s rules. I like cooking, but not baking. One of my soulmates bakes so that’s fine...” Tobio tipped his head to the side trying to think of any other factoid this lady might want to know, “is there anything else?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yamaha-san just stared at him dumbly for a few moments then spoke up, “that.. that’s a good start. Maybe we’ll have to do a follow-up article once the season starts..”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio just nodded, then checked the time on his phone. It was a little past the allotted time for the interview and he wanted to be done with it all, so he asked, “so, then we’re good here? I have to get going..”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah-yes. Thank you, Kageyama-san for the interview! Our magazine will be in touch and we’ll let you know when we publish the piece.” Yamaha-san said and bowed. Tobio bowed in return and got up to leave. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He finally got back to their apartment about an hour later and took the elevator all the way up to the twentieth floor where he and Suga lived. They had moved out together just before the Olympics and into this place with just the two of them. Of course, they searched for a place that would be good for three people, bearing in mind that someday Tooru would be back with them as well; but none of them were certain when that was going to happen. For now, they rented a two-bedroom place in a newer high rise. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio unlocked the door and went in, taking off his shoes and running his hand through his hair in utter exhaustion. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tobio? Are you back?” He heard Suga’s voice call from their bedroom, so he shuffled his way there and leaned against the open doorway. His soulmate was perched on their bed, laptop open, and keeping him busy. He glanced up at Tobio then said, “so, I’m not sure how you’re going to like this.. but.. there’s people in your fan group that think they’re your soulmate... based on your tattoo... that was apparently posted.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes. I know.” Tobio sighed and made his way over, flopping down next to Suga.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmmm? Since when did you look at social media?” Suga teased, nudging him in the ribs playfully. Tobio squirmed at the ticklish jab and silently threatened to retaliate with his hands hovering in the air. Suga grinned and threw up his hands in surrender then leaned over and kissed his cheek.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio caught his face with a cupped hand when the other tried to retreat and kissed him on the lips delicately. He leaned back and said, “the interviewer today mentioned it. She kept asking me questions about it, so I ended up just giving her answers so she’d stop. I don’t have anything to hide or anything I’d want to hide.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I see.. well it’s fine by me. I have two incredibly hot, famous, professional athlete soulmates, so there’s nothing for me to complain about..” Suga said, grinning.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio smirked for a moment, then his expression just melted into a serene smile, “and I have balance.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0042"><h2>42. SK</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Suga checked the time on his phone while he strolled down the long, busy terminal of the airport, looking out for a tall, familiar, handsome man who was his endgame. It was the day before Tobio’s first game of the season in which he would be up against Hinata and Tooru had surprisingly insisted on making a trip back to Japan to watch the game in person. Suga was thrilled that he would be able to spend some time with both his soulmates again since Tooru was staying for about two weeks. He craned his neck and peered around, even going onto his toes to get a bit more height. Unfortunately, all his effort was in vain with no one familiar in sight. He sighed and put his hands on his hips, wondering where Tobio had gone off to. His surly soulmate had been stopped by some volleyball fans who vehemently asked for autographs and Tobio just couldn’t say no. Suga was never truly annoyed by Tobio’s popularity, but it would have been nice to have some extra help keeping an eye out for Tooru. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Where are ya, Mr. Great King...</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suddenly, someone tall and warm grabbed Suga from behind, arms wrapping around him snugly and a face pressed against the side of his head. Suga startled, but his jolt was absorbed by the tall stranger, who whispered in his ear, “well hello there Kou-chan! Didja miss me?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tooru!” Suga screeched and spun around as best he could while being completely enveloped, “don’t sneak up on me like that! You gave me a heart attack!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Arrgghh! I’ve missed your pretty face!” Tooru responded, grabbing Suga’s face in his hands, squeezing his cheeks, then planting a smack on his lips. Suga froze and blinked a few times at his soulmate. It had been so long since they were last together in person, and he was so different than Tobio that Suga nearly forgot. Tooru was much more domineering, simply seeking out what he wanted and snatching it up without any delicacy. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru started to laugh at Suga’s stunned expression, but the latter quickly came to his senses and zipped forward again, entangling Tooru in his arms and a passionate kiss that was decently inappropriate for the airport terminal. But heedless of polite society, he stayed cemented to the spot, kissing his long-missed boyfriend amongst the passersby.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oi! Maybe not here?” Tobio’s low, calm voice floated over from a little ways away. Suga broke free from Tooru and peeked over, seeing him on the approach. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga grinned and let go of his grasp on Tooru completely, “I found him!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“More like I found you.” Tooru snarked and tapped Suga’s nose playfully. Then the effortlessly handsome guy looked over Tobio as he finally reached them and remarked, “Tobio-chan.. how is this fair? I think you’re actually taller than me now..”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m six-two now.. Tooru,” Tobio said neutrally, then a smile bloomed on his face and he wrapped his arms around the other in a tight hug, “I’m really happy to see you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga beamed at them and intertwined his hands behind his back, overjoyed that they were all together again even for a brief amount of time. He watched them, feeling that same low key buzz of the soulmate bond that reminded him of the first match they played where he discovered Tooru’s tattoo. That same sort of thrumming sensation that was always present, but really only noticeable if you thought about it in the first place. It was basically vibrating the air around him in this moment like it wanted to pull him forward to the others. He took a few steps closer and Tobio immediately extended his arm, welcoming him into the embrace. Tooru looked a little dazed like he was feeling the energy too and having trouble processing. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio snagged Suga’s hand and pulled him close to them then wrapped an arm around each of their shoulders and said, “alright, let’s get going.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Lead the way.. I’m really enjoying this more assertive side of you, Tobio-chan. Must have come with the height.” Tooru retorted, smirking dazedly. Tobio didn’t respond and Suga snickered at them, giving in and letting Tobio lead him around like always. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They arrived at Suga and Tobio’s apartment in no time and Suga noticed the latter made a beeline for the kitchen, clearly motivated to start dinner. Suga laughed lightly to himself while tucking some hair behind his ear and glimpsed Tooru gazing at him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What? You okay?” Suga asked while moving over to him and running his hand down his arm.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s nothing. Well, actually, it’s everything.” Tooru said and Suga tilted his head in confusion. His soulmate looped his arms down around Suga’s waist and continued, “you know, Tobio-chan has changed quite a bit. It’s hard to tell those differences over a video chat.. but he’s taller and lean with all that muscle. He’s huge! Seriously, what the heck?! But you, Koushi, are just as beautiful as ever.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmm? Where’s all this coming from now? You sure you’re okay?” Suga slipped his hand up to Tooru’s cheek and let it linger there, rubbing his thumb over cheekbone soothingly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah.. like I said, it’s nothing and everything. I’m just basking in what I’ve missed, I guess.” Tooru replied airily and leaned in for a kiss. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga grazed his hands up and down Tooru’s back, then playfully gave his rear a squeeze, “me too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru huffed and dropped his head to rest on Suga’s shoulder, “by all means, bask away..”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oi, let’s eat dinner first..” Tobio had reappeared and was leaning casually against the wall smiling at them, “I made katsudon. And something special for you, Tooru.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In the kitchen, Tobio had already set out plates of food for the three of them at the table and they all sat down to eat. Suga watched as Tobio got up briefly and brought over a box to set in front of Tooru, “Ah.. it’s a welcome home present.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru looked a little abashed at the gesture, and gingerly opened the box as if he expected something to pop out at him. He paused and stared at the contents, his lips parted slightly in surprise. Suga peered over and saw that it contained a few neatly arranged loaves of milk bread. Tooru was apparently rendered speechless as he just stared at the milk bread without blinking. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio shifted his eyes between the box and Tooru a few times before he spoke up in a low tone, “I don’t usually bake.. but try one, please?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru continued to stare vacantly at the bread as he picked one up and brought it to his mouth, taking a sizable bite. He closed his eyes and hummed a soft ‘mmm’ while he chewed. Tobio seemed pleased and offered the box to Suga as well, so Suga took one and bit into it. Unsurprisingly, the milk bread was delicious, regardless of Tobio’s past protests that he couldn’t bake very well. Suga was starting to wonder where he got an idea like that since he had a tendency to perfect any skill he was even remotely interested in. The latter then went back into the kitchen to put the box away and Suga watched as Tooru followed silently behind him. When Tobio stopped, Tooru stepped right up behind him and wrapped his arms around him, lazily slouching all over him like he was a sweater thrown around Tobio’s shoulders. Suga snickered at them and rested his cheek in his palm, leaning on the table and hearing bits and pieces of Tooru whispering sweet ‘thank you’s’ in Tobio’s ear. It really was a thoughtful gesture, baking Tooru’s favorite food for him. Suga wondered when Tobio had found the time to make them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The next day, Suga woke up to Tooru’s relaxed, sleeping face. The latter was breathing deeply, out like a light. Suga stared for a minute or two, not having seen this sight in a long while, then he turned over and realized that Tobio had already left. He knew that since the big game was today, he’d have to wake up and leave really early, but Suga was a little disappointed he missed it. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He probably didn’t want to wake Tooru.. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga carefully turned back to Tooru and pressed a feather-light kiss to his temple before slinking stealthily out of bed. He went to the kitchen and immediately saw that Tobio had left some wrapped up milk bread loaves on the counter for them. While grabbing a few mugs from a cabinet, Suga flipped the coffee maker on and checked the water level. The first pot brewed quickly and while he stirred some sugar and milk into his mug, he felt two large hands snake their way over his shoulders and clasp around him from behind. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good morning, sleepy-chan, did I wake you?” He asked quietly, leaning his head back where it met the sturdy shoulder of his soulmate. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nah,” Tooru whispered and pressed his body flush against Suga, “can you pour me a cup too?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmm? Sure, but I’m a little stuck,” Suga grinned.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh my, that’s a real shame,” Tooru said into Suga’s ear, dripping with sarcasm.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga laughed at Tooru’s flirty nonsense. The latter rarely divulged exactly what he wanted, regardless of the fact that he always showed what he wanted through his actions. Since Suga was completely used to being clung onto at this point, he easily swiveled around in Tooru’s arms and gazed into the other’s eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He didn’t look away for a few beats, waiting to see if Tooru would budge, before saying, “I’m starting to think that it’s not coffee you’re after.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The only thing I want is all of your attention,” Tooru replied, gazing back with a haughty tilt to his lips. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Pfft haha! As if I could look away!” Suga laughed lightly and leaned up, kissing his soulmate sweetly. Tooru took the gesture and ran with it, deepening their kiss and slipping his hands up the back of Suga’s shirt. It was obvious that this was way better than coffee anyway.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A little while later Suga led Tooru along the stadium seating in the sports complex, keeping his eyes peeled for his friends. He finally spotted Daichi and Asahi sitting together and made his way over, shouting ‘hey!’ and tugging Tooru along by the hand. He gave Daichi a big hug and held out his hands in the air, baiting Asahi into trying to do a secret handshake, then grinned when Asahi flailed around after his motions. Tooru laughed softly behind him while Suga just grinned even wider at his friends. He hadn’t seen them in a pretty long time since they didn’t live close to each other anymore, having graduated from college and moved on to careers.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Quit that! We never had any kind of secret homeboy handshake, so quit acting like we did and I just forgot!” Asahi complained, then started laughing too with Daichi joining in as well.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You know, coming in here.. it doesn’t feel like it’s been forever,” Daichi said while looking around the stadium.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah. It still feels like it was just yesterday,” Asahi added, following Daichi’s gaze.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga took a deep breath and looked around. They were right. It did feel like just yesterday that they were playing in this same stadium for nationals back in high school. Suga let out his breath then shouted, “Wooo! Let’s get this party started!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru visibly startled and stared, wide-eyed, at Suga while their friends started laughing again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So how’s it going, Tooru-kun?” Daichi asked genially as they made their way to some seats.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Really good, Dai-chan!” Tooru smirked, then said, “actually, I haven’t had a chance to tell Kou-chan this yet.. but I’m playing in the games for Argentina next year, officially.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?!” Suga shrieked and stared at his soulmate while his friends both looked surprised as well.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mm hmm, Tobio-chan, Shouyou-chan, and that asshole Ushiwaka better watch out, because I’m coming for ‘em!” Tooru said smugly and crossed his arms. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga just continued to stare, his mouth drifting open in his blatant surprise at this news. He closed it then pounced on Tooru and held on, trapping him in his embrace since the other still had his arms crossed. He leaned close to his ear and whispered, “I told you that you’d do it, all those years ago.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga let go and rested his hands on Tooru’s shoulders while the latter just gazed back at him dazedly, clearly lost in his own thoughts. Suga tilted his head slightly at Tooru’s daze, but smiled at him regardless of what planet he was on at the moment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I see that Suga’s still keeping you in check,” Daichi said, watching them with interest.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes. ‘Cause he’s an alien,” Tooru said back faintly, still locking his eyes on Suga’s. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suddenly a booming voice sounded throughout the stadium, announcing the start of the match between the Schweiden Adlers and the MSBY Black Jackels. Suga perked up and looked towards the court, knowing that they’d soon be introducing Tobio’s team. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Now to introduce your Schweiden Adlers’ starting lineup! Number two, the team captain Hirugami Fukaro; number eleven, Ushijima Wakatoshi!” The announcers began, and Suga heard Tooru scoff loudly in disgust. Suga smiled and glanced his way for a moment before listening to the rest of the announcer’s introductions, “number sixteen, Hoshiumi Kourai; number twenty, Kageyama Tobio!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga watched his courtside soulmate make his way into the court after he was announced and Suga pouted and looked to Tooru again, “I..I think I’m going to cry.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru smiled back blandly but didn’t comment while Asahi hovered closer, “I have tissues if you need them..” and Daichi cheered ‘Kageyamaaaa!’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga shook his head and passed his arm across his eyes subtly, trying to calm down. It wasn’t every time, but he was still astounded when he saw how successful his soulmate had become in achieving his goals. He knew that Tobio was exactly where he wanted to be. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Barely a pause after the announcer had finished introducing the Adlers’ team, he saw Bokuto do a front handspring onto the court and shout, “annnnd number twelve, Bokutoooo Koutarooou!” He landed spryly and struck a pose like a gymnast. Suga raised his eyebrows incredulously at his old roommate and burst out laughing along with Daichi and Asahi. Tooru was smirking skeptically down at their loud friend, none too impressed. Then again, he had rarely seen Koutarou’s shenanigans since he mostly talked with Suga and Tobio privately over video chat. Suga, however, thought this stunt was hilarious and ended up wiping his eyes again after he stopped laughing. He spied Hinata on the court too and it looked like he was arguing with Miya Atsumu, the Black Jackel’s setter. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh Hinata, always causing a ruckus huh? Even with your own teammates. I wonder how much you’ve grown. It’s almost hard to decide who to cheer for, with you and Tobio facing off like this.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then the game started with Tobio’s serve. The stadium filled with the sound of the announcers commentating on the power packed behind his deadly accurate serve and how it completely demolished France in the worlds games. Suga watched Tobio slam the ball to the opposing court right where Hinata was waiting and ready. The small guy very neatly bumped it to his own setter’s position and was up and sprinting across the court to attack in one smooth motion.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yikes..” Suga said, hushed in his disbelief that someone could get that ball on the first try; Especially seeing the other Black Jackels teammates looking just as surprised.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, I see Tobio-chan’s still copying my serve.” Tooru said smugly, peering down at the court with a sort of indistinguishable haughtiness painted across his face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You both serve like that?!” Daichi commented, giving Tooru a somewhat horrified look.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well.. I did end up teaching him my serve before I left for Argentina.. looks awfully familiar, just sayin’” Tooru replied, folding his arms across his body. Suga bumped his shoulder with his own affectionately, but continued to stare down at the court where it looked like Miya was about to set the ball. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, I meant.. if your serve and Tobio-kun’s serves are really similar, that’s going to be a really intense Olympics match...” Daichi said, then returned his gaze to the court too. Suga felt Tooru shrug in response, but he didn’t say anything else. They were all quite distracted by Miya’s toss, which went straight to Hinata. Their former teammate jumped off the ground, gaining so much height it was incredible, and smacked the ball down above the blockers. Suga registered the commentators saying something or other about the whole play being dominated by the shrimp in the back of his mind, but he was mostly staring in shock at Hinata’s very obvious growth as an athlete.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wow. Looks like the beach really did do him some good,” Tooru commented lowly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Whaaaaaa...” Suga replied, feeling completely floored by this match at it was only the first point. He quickly found Tobio and analyzed his expression. The other was grinning devilishly, looking like he was having the time of his life. Suga sighed in relief and slumped back in his seat a little. He hadn’t even realized he was worried about Tobio’s true reaction to facing off against Hinata, despite him saying he was looking forward to it. Suga knew from the start that one of the only people Tobio had a real rivalry with was Hinata, so he hoped their match wouldn’t shake their friendship. It was still challenging for others to get close to Tobio and become friends with him. He wouldn’t say it to Tooru, but Ushijima-kun and Tobio were pretty good friends now, being on the same team and both being on the hard end of blunt. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga watched the match progress in awe and he reminisced about hanging out with some of Tobio’s Alders teammates. Ushijima-kun was definitely hilarious to talk to, and so was Kourai-kun. He wondered if Tooru would ever be able to drop his grudge and be friends with Ushijima-kun too, but probably not. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Just then, Hinata came flying out of nowhere and smacked down a freak quick set to him by Miya which completely shook Suga out of his reverie and brought him back to the game. Hinata was really flying out there and Suga felt himself start to get a little emotional. He felt Tooru slip his hand into his and give it a squeeze. Looking over, he glimpsed Tooru giving him a quick, flashy smile then returning his attention to the game. Suga was grateful that Tooru was so observant and quick to act, helping him calm down and try not to get overwhelmed by everything that was happening.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Adlers’ serves in general were super intense, making it obvious why they were the reigning champs in the v-league for several years consecutively ever since Tobio joined. Suga watched as Hirugami-kun snapped a ball across the net so fast that Hinata barely out his arms up in time to block his face. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Blink and it’s right in your face...” Suga said quietly, staring down at the rally.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, I’m scared of every single server in their rotation,” Asahi added. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You can say that again. At their level, I wouldn’t be shocked if you’d told me they’d won the whole game on serves alone.” Daichi put in too, glancing over at Tooru, “seriously, have fun at the Olympics next year...”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru scoffed and crossed his arms again, “oh I will, Dai-chan. My team packs a punch too, ya know? Maybe we should all play some at the park this weekend and I’ll show ya.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga smiled at his soulmate’s stubborn haughtiness, but secretly agreed with Daichi that Japan would definitely give Argentina a run for its money next year if they collected players from these two teams in front of them right now. He smirked then, knowing that this is exactly what was going to happen. He couldn’t wait for that match. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sakusa-kun spiked Hinata’s hasty bump and it went straight to Tobio, who looked prepared and in the perfect position to receive it. However, the ball ricocheted off his strong arms and flew out of bounds. Tobio looked longingly after it, almost as if he was slightly confused but he just smirked and glanced back towards the Jackels. The referee had blown the whistle signaling a point for the Jackals and Suga watched them all standing around looking at each other with intense, challenging expressions.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s the lot of ‘em. The whole lot of ‘em! They’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>all</span>
  </em>
  <span> nasty!” Suga shouted suddenly. He was probably just grooving off of Tobio’s energy, because his soulmate was clearly enjoying himself. But it was also something else to watch this generation of monster players compete against each other. Every single play was spectacular. He heard Tooru quietly let out an exasperated sigh next to him, but he didn’t mind it. He knew Tooru just wanted to be on the court right now too and his jealousy was probably flaring up. Hinata was up to serve next and Suga wondered to himself if he’d actually learned to serve to compete with the monsters. It turned out he had. He performed a beautifully powerful jump serve, using his jump momentum to slam the ball like a cannon blasting off to the other side of the net. It barely missed the inbounds side line though and was out just by a smidge. The small guy looked visibly irritated and Suga definitely caught a very pointed glare directed at Tobio, who was smirking gleefully back through the net.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, for the days of the headhunting serve...” Suga reminisced aloud, thinking of the time Hinata served a ball directly into the back of Tobio’s head during a match.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Haha! Iwa-chan told me about that one! I missed it, got there just a bit too late to witness that majesty.” Tooru snickered.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“.. catch one of those with your head now and it’d probably break your neck,” Daichi commented dryly. Suga caught Asahi nodding in agreement, grimacing down at the court of monsters.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A few plays later and Hinata was in the back row, doing some really sneaky looking footwork. He was catching the opponents by surprise, popping up out of nowhere and digging their spikes easily as if he knew where they’d aim.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Man, Hinata’s gotten so much better at defense...” Asahi commented.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That isn’t the half of it,” Daichi retorted, “if I haven’t gone completely blind, both Romero’s dink shot and Hoshiumi’s endline shot were left open on purpose. He baited both of them into those hits! Defenders make a lot of decisions in a play, right? Do they guard against a certain shot, or do they slide back to cover for a block out? Do they step forward to watch out for a dink? And so on and so on.. Hinata’s been sending a lot of obvious signals to the hitters that he’s going to defend in a certain way, but they’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>feints</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He lured them into hitting the ball exactly where he wanted them to...oh.. He’s finally done it.. he’s acting as a decoy for himself!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Aha! That’s why everyone’s been calling him a ninja over in Brazil!” Tooru laughed, clearly delighted with Hinata’s ploys.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, Hinata’s ‘defensive decoy’ work is stupidly amazing... but the guys he’s catching have to be stupidly amazing too! If they’re biting on his bait, that means they perfectly saw and analyzed the floor defense in the split second before their hit!” Asahi added, squinting down at the players on the court incredulously.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, duh. They’re all stupidly good,” Daichi replied.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t you think that no matter the sport or profession, anyone who’s a pro is going to be stupidly good?” Suga put in, looking to the others briefly then back to the court.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fair point,” Asahi answered, then looked between Suga and Tooru for a moment, “Suga... you have two pro monsters to keep in check. Are you going to be okay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga just laughed at his friend, understanding the sentiment, but he had been dealing with these soulmates for years now so he was fully used to it by now, “I’m perfectly capable, trust me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mm hm, trust </span>
  <em>
    <span>me</span>
  </em>
  <span> when I say that he definitely is..” Tooru added under his breath, but Asahi definitely heard it because he smiled fondly at Suga then returned his attention back to the game. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then Adlers called a time out and Suga looked over to his friends, “so, where’s Nishinoya? What’s he up to these days?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh! He’s out fishing for Marlins off the coast of Italy!” Asahi replied immediately.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Daichi physically turned in his seat to face Asahi before uttering, “... what.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He’s in Italy, fishing for marlins.” Asahi repeated, smiling blandly back at his friend. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh, no, I heard you. That was an exclamation, not a request for you to repeat yourself.” Daichi said, still looking blankly at Asahi.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I texted him saying that we were getting together today and he sent this back,” Asahi continued, pulling up a great picture of Noya-kun standing on the bow of a boat holding a huge fish that was at least half the size of himself. Suga grinned the leaned out of the way so Tooru could see the picture too. The latter peered over curiously and threw up his hands in confusion flippantly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, the world is a really big place ya know? And we’re all just little insignificant humans.” Suga said after a beat, marveling at Noya-kun’s endeavors. He heard Tooru whisper something along the lines of ‘who are you trying to convince’ under his breath to no one in general. Suga elbowed him a little roughly in the side for his snark and he scoffed in offense.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Daichi nodded and Asahi said, “back when I was waffling over whether or not to go to Tokyo, we got to talking about it. So I asked him what he wanted to do with his future. I figured he’d say something related to volleyball, but he told me he was saving up some money then using it to travel the world and experience all kinds of different things. He encouraged me to go to Tokyo because I could just zip around and do what I wanted. Although.. I think he was referring to the bullet train..”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Make up your mind and anything can be a quick zip and voila, there you are,” Suga said, frowning slightly in contemplation.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Whether or not it feels like a zip is up to you.” Asahi added.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Personally, I think most of the people we know had entirely too much zip going on.. Italy, Brazil,” he gave Tooru the side-eye, “Argentina.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru smiled charmingly and shrugged, clearly not bothered by Daichi’s comment or opinion of his life choices. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, I’m glad you’re keeping in touch with him! I haven’t seen him in ages..” Suga said, jabbing Asahi in the side. He flinched then brought a hand up to twirl some of his long hair around a finger, looking guilty and nervous. Suga tilted his head and just gazed at him, waiting for him to spill as it seemed like he was overflowing with secrets. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah.. I, um.. we…well. It turns out he’s mine.” Asahi mumbled, seemingly unable to withstand Suga’s gaze any longer. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Excuse me, what?” Suga asked bluntly, still staring him down. He felt Tooru place a hand on his shoulder like he was making sure Suga didn’t take off like a rocket.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We, um, match.” Asahi said quietly, then looked away like he was embarrassed by his reveal for some reason. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“When did this happen?!” Daichi exclaimed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh.. actually not too long ago.. it was kind of weird. Before he finally left Japan to travel, he stayed with me in Tokyo for a few weeks because he wanted to explore around the city first and I caught sight of his mark. It’s, uh, low.. on our hips. You’d normally never see.. anyway, I walked in on him doing yoga in the nude one morning. I was really shocked.” Asahi relayed, twiddling with his hair again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh my! Nudity seems to be a popular way to discover soulmates,” Tooru smirked and blatantly looked at Daichi. The latter raised his eyebrows at Tooru’s bratty comment, but didn’t give in to the bait. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s... crazy. You guys were on the same team for two years!” Suga said, “wait.. so, are you guys doing anything about it?! I know for a fact you’re into soulmate stuff, Asahi, don’t even try to deny it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah yeah? Well, I didn’t want to put the breaks on his traveling plans, so we decided to address it later when he was ready to come back and settle down. I’ve got my own thing going now anyway. So nothing much has changed. We’re still just friends right now. I mean, we were already really close.. so maybe we can just.. zip?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Zip.” Suga repeated idly, then punched him in the shoulder playfully, “well good for you guys! That’s fantastic news!” The whistle blew in the arena, signaling the break was over and the next server walked to the back of the court. Suga gave Asahi one more simpering smile then turned his attention back to the game. It was surprising news, to know that two of his friends had been soulmates for so long without having any idea until accidentally discovering it, but Suga was starting to see that his own soulmate experience was vastly different from those around him. Everybody took their own path, but the phenomenon still blew his mind. Tooru suddenly ran his hand through Suga’s hair, tucking a few strands behind his ear for him, then gave his shoulder a squeeze before retreating his hands back into his own lap. Suga reflected that he was grateful that he met his soulmates so early on, despite having to spend time away from them. Just knowing them and building that sturdy relationship was worth all the winding paths it took to get to where they were today. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Finally attending the game again, Suga watched Hinata go to spike an emergency set ball from Miya, but changed his entire body’s direction midair to set the ball to Koutarou instead, who slammed it down for the match point. It was incredible to witness Hinata’s playstyle in person now as he was just like a bird, freely flying through the air and doing whatever he pleased because he had gained all the skills now to do so. Suga spied on Tobio’s face to see his reaction to losing the first set, but he didn’t seem too down. Although he looked contemplative,  kind of similar to how he looked when he was about to talk about his grandfather. Suga wondered what his soulmate was thinking, and hoping he wasn’t too upset about the first set.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He’ll be fine, probably,” Tooru said quietly, leaning over to talk right in Suga’s ear and lingering there.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmm? How did you know I was thinking about that? Did you pick up mind reading while you were abroad too?” Suga asked, leaning against the other heavily.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nope. But I can see that face of his too, even from here. It looks an awful lot like someone’s taking a trip down memory lane. Now then, we both know he’d tell us if we just asked him later.” Tooru replied, using a finger to tilt Suga’s chin upwards teasingly then placed a kiss on his lips. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The next set began and the teams were racking up the points quietly as if every ball was being set so perfectly that all the cogs went round and round with no disruption. Tobio kept up his stoney composure throughout everything. It didn’t matter if he was serving or setting a slightly off ball. Suga watched him effortlessly save a ball that was nearly over the net with a single hand and sent it to Romero who spiked it for a point. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I can’t believe he can make sets like that. How do you have so much control over the ball even in a situation like that with only one hand?!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, he’s still setting those stray netballs then?” Tooru asked quietly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga sighed and answered, “yep, he sure is.. I honestly don’t think I ever could do that. His ball control is ridiculous.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmmmmm.. it is,” Tooru replied, leaning forward in his seat and peering down at his soulmate with scrutinizing eyes. Suga wondered then if Tooru was really taking note of all of Tobio’s skills for later reference and he smiled grimly at the thought.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio was up to serve for the third in a row, clearly having a field day with it by the smug look creeping up on his face and Suga just watched the rally closely. The ball flew back and forth a few times and was heading close to the net again like Tobio would barely be able to snag it in time to set. All his teammates were running up and leaping into the air, anticipating a ball to come zipping their way. Suga watched as Tobio’s hands almost grazed the ball, but then he quickly withdrew them and simply let the ball fall down on the other side of the court, where no one was ready to save it. He had faked them out, all of them. Everyone on the court thought he’d get another miraculous hand on a netball and send it to anyone he wanted because he really could just send it to anyone he wanted. Of course, he would do the opposite then, and simply choose to not do anything. Every player on the court paused after the whistle blew, signaling a point for the Adlers, and stared at Tobio for a few seconds. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga groaned and raked his hands down his face then said, “ugh.. that was hot.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You know, I completely agree with you on that one..” Tooru replied.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s just.. he’s so... polarizing,” Daichi said, looking shocked by the play.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t want to play against him.. I can’t believe he’s up for his fourth serve now.” Asahi added, “what do you mean by polarizing?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You haven’t lived with him. He’s like night and day... being at home versus playing volleyball. I think you’ve only ever seen the volleyball side of him. It’s confusing. Suga, I’m not sure how you handle it.” Daichi answered, looking skeptically down at the players, “I mean.. this is the same guy who used to make me meals twice a day and quietly does housework with no complaints or even being asked to, actually.. And yet, he’s like </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> down there on the court. I just can’t wrap my mind around it..”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga laughed lightly and hummed in contemplation then answered, “yes, he’s a different monster when it comes to volleyball, like a switch is flipped and it’s all tactical thinking and unnervingly precise game sense, and powerful skills to back it all up. It’s terrifying. Anyway, I figured it out by about our fourth date, so it’s fine.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, usually I’m the adaptable one, but he still throws me,” Tooru grumbled more so to himself than the others. Suga laughed again and shrugged lazily back at his friends. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The rest of the second set went pretty quickly after Tobio’s consecutive serves which set the pace for the Adlers. They won the set, and were tied with the Jackels. The players switched sides and the third set began. Like the second set, Tobio was on a roll with his serves, then leading around the opposing blockers with mind games, but Hinata eventually stopped him. Miya was up to serve next and started to build up a momentum of service aces as well. Suga watched closely, counting the number of steps he took which was his tell for what type of nasty serve he was about to deliver. The first had been a powerful jump spike serve and the second a quick jump floater; and it looked like Miya was about to send over another floater, but he changed it at the last second in the air and spiked it to the front of the court in a strange sort of hybrid that ricocheted off of Romero’s outstretched hands. The Brazilian pro looked backwards behind himself toward where the ball flew, obviously perplexed by what just happened. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga tilted his head and Tooru spoke up, “oh? What’s this now? That’s new. He added a nasty little upgrade to his serving huh? Hmm.. can’t let that flirty jerk upstage me now..”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga just raised his eyebrows at his soulmate in concern, knowing that he was getting fired up again over silly things. He wondered vaguely if Tooru was going to learn some new serves as well then to build a repertoire beyond accurate, cannon-like, jump serves. The last time he saw Tooru serve was a game he caught on livestream with his team in Argentina and his serve was scarily similar to Tobio’s, but maybe with a bit more power. However, they both had pinpoint accuracy which they clearly demonstrated by sending the ball exactly where they wanted every time without fail. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The third set ended with an amazing emergency play by Hinata, winning them the final point. The ball had been saved by a crazy dive from Miya, disabling him to set the ball, so Hinata got under it and jumped into the air to set it instead. However, once he was airborne, he swiveled his body around and spiked the ball with his left hand, surprising everyone. Suga blinked in pure disbelief just how good Hinata had become and how much midair balance he was able to fully use to his advantage. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sheeesh, that’s nasty too.” Tooru grimaced as he watched, nudging Suga with his shoulder to budge him out of his shocked state. Suga just nodded in return then rested his head in his hands and continued to analyze the court. If Tobio’s team didn’t hustle for this next set, they’d lose the match.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio was up to serve for the final time this set since it was the latter half and his team was trailing Hinata’s by three points. He made quick work of the gap with his serves, scoring two service aces, then making a spectacular set from outside his own side of the court to Kourai-kun. The ‘little giant’ slammed the ball down for a point and they were tied. Suga watched closely as Tobio walked up to serve for the fourth time in a row, and he looked completely at ease. His face lit up with a sort of calm, serene, happiness that must have been from how much he was really enjoying this particular game. Suga grinned and swiped at his own eyes quickly, glad to see Tobio so happy but not wanting to get caught being weepy again. His emotions were definitely running high because this game seemed like some sort of long-awaited, ultimate showdown against Hinata. Tobio’s one time greatest ally turned ultimate rival, and would probably be the greatest ally again in the Olympic Games next year. He tried to hide his overactive mindset as much as possible, but he caught Tooru sneaking peeks at him from time to time, though he didn’t say anything; it did seem like Tooru had scooted even closer though.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The last rally went by in a bit of a blur, with Hinata kicking the ball back into the air after being blocked out by Tobio, then dashing across the length of the court in a flash. Tobio and his blockers were almost stuck in a trance watching him for a few seconds until they realized that Hinata was most definitely playing ‘the greatest decoy’ and they jumped hastily to block Koutarou-kun, but it was too late. His old roommate had spiked the ball down for the match point, winning the entire game for the Black Jackels. Tobio gazed back at the spot where the ball had whizzed past his body and gave a strained grin, even in his defeat. Regardless of the loss, it was clear as day that Tobio had a blast on the court during this match and was elated that Hinata was back. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A little while after the endgame line up and handshake took place, Suga talked with his friends and Tooru for a few moments before whispering to the latter that he’d be back in a few minutes. He walked away, looking back to see Tooru smirking towards his friends and saying something probably snarky, by the looks on their faces. Suga smiled and continued towards his destination which was the fans’ autograph line for a few of the players. He casually got onto Tobio’s line and waited patiently until it was his turn to get something signed by the player. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It looked like Tobio had spotted him and tipped his head to the side briefly, before speaking to the fans that came before Suga in line. Suga just smiled pleasantly and continued to wait, rocking on the balls of his feet and glancing around the arena. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Koushi...” Tobio’s voice drew Suga’s attention and he looked over. It was his turn now and he walked up to Tobio, handing him a print to sign.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hi! That was a great game! Monster generation at its best! Can you make it out to Koushi? Oh! And put a little heart at the end?” Suga said brightly, gesturing towards the print innocently. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thanks..” Tobio squinted at him quizzically, but slowly looked back down at the print and signed it, “you’re something else, you know that? I can give you one of these and whatever else you’d want at home, you know?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmmm. Yes, I suppose you could. But really, where’s the fun in that? This is a great opportunity right here,” Suga replied and reached out to touch his arm briefly, “are you okay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It was really fun. Really, really fun.. and the season’s just started, so I don’t plan on losing any other games. I was waiting for him, you know? He really came back and did it.” Tobio said quietly, quickly, and gave Suga an exhilarated smile. Suga smiled back genially, then blinked and shaded his eyes at sudden, blinding lights flashing around them. He adjusted and glanced around, realizing that Tobio was still gazing back at him amiably, with a dangerously handsome smile lingering on his face and the cameras were going wild. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ah, out comes mister popularity. I forgot about the cameras.. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga leaned closer for a moment, but not close enough to cause a scandalous commotion, and said quietly so that only Tobio could hear, “you’ve got an audience and I’m holding up the line, but.. I’m really proud of you. You were absolutely amazing out there today.. I love you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio’s eyes glazed over a bit making Suga grin at his reaction. He winked subtly then walked away, letting Tobio handle his own fans and press. Suga tried to stay out of it as much as possible. He was a little amused when Tobio had ended up spilling the beans about his soulmates to a magazine pretty recently, but they still tried to maintain their anonymity since Tobio didn’t give away the exact details. It would definitely be hard to keep it up if he stayed and Tobio kept looking at him like that, so he wandered back over to where he had left Tooru. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga and Tooru found themselves back at home a few hours later, waiting on Tobio to finish up his after game routine and meetings with his team. They sat on the couch together comfortably and just started watching a movie. Immediately after getting home, Tooru had spent some time clanging and banging around the kitchen making something or other which Suga had no clue as to what, since the other wouldn’t give it away. Whatever it was, he was sure to find out as he knew Tobio would make an appearance soon enough. Not even a second after the thought had crossed his mind, he heard the lock click and the front door open. He paused the movie and sat up expectantly, waiting for Tobio to come into the living room. A moment later he did, looking freshly showered and in clean, casual joggers and a tee shirt under his team track jacket. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Welcome home!” Suga called out, smiling at him and holding out his arms demandingly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio huffed a few laughs and strode over, dropping his gym bag along the way, and wrapped his arms around Suga in a tight hug, “you know, I got questioned quite a bit after you left the fan line, Koushi..”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ooh, does Kou-chan make a habit of causing you trouble with the press? How rough, to be so popular.” Tooru commented, looking haughtily up at Tobio from his lounged position on the couch. Tobio let go of Suga and stood up to his full height, now looking down on Tooru with a similarly haughty, kingly, expression. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Actually, now that you mention it, he kind of does..” Tobio said quietly, glancing from Suga to Tooru and putting his hands on his hips. Then he dropped them and literally flopped his body down onto Tooru like he knew the other wasn’t about to get up any time soon and he could take advantage of this fact. Tooru left out a surprised ‘oof’ sound, but pat Tobio’s back anyway. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ya know Tobio-chan, you’ve filled out quite a bit.. you’re squashing me here,” Tooru protested, muffled by Tobio’s body. It was true, they had similar builds now, both being taller than six feet, slender but with broad muscular shoulders. Suga just stared at them, completely taken in by their statures, and a little disbelieving that he was the oldest amongst them and yet now the smallest in comparison. It didn’t bother him too much though. Tooru nudged Tobio to give him some space so the latter backed off a little bit and tipped his head to the side in question. Tooru smirked and said, “I made you something. It’s in the kitchen. Let’s call it a.. good game present.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh. Did you learn how to cook then?” Tobio asked, shuffling all the way off and heading towards the kitchen. Tooru got up and trailed him brusquely, with Suga following suit too.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course I learned how to cook Tobio-chan! I’ve lived on my own in a foreign country for years now! Sheesh!” Tooru snapped back, and nabbed a little jar out of the fridge then presented it to Tobio with a flourish, “it’s called dulce de leche, and I think it’ll blow your mind.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Dulce de leche?” Tobio repeated, bringing the jar up to inspect closely before dipping a spoon in and taking a bite. He paused, the spoon still in his mouth, and his eyes shot to Tooru’s, wide and clearly bewildered. He swallowed the bite then asked, “Tooru! You made this?! What the hell?! Have you tasted this?! Koushi, come here and take a bite of this stuff! It’s like…a super sweet milk sauce!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru laughed brightly and Suga raised his eyebrows then walked over to Tobio, opening his mouth and saying ‘ahh’. Tobio immediately got another spoonful and popped it right in his expectant mouth. It was delicious, and exactly like Tobio had said, being some sort of creamy, milky, thick, almost like caramel but not quite, syrup. Suga let out a soft ‘mmm’ noise of appreciation and saw Tooru light up happily, pleased that they both liked it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Aha! See? I knew you’d love it,” Tooru said smugly, “you can put it in coffee or drizzle it on pancakes or crepes or ya know, straight into your mouth.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His hoity-toity smugness didn’t last long as Tobio turned to him and closed the distance between them smoothly in just two steps. Suga heard Tobio murmur, “thank you,” before he enveloped Tooru easily in his arms and kissed him sensually as if he was trying to convey all his gratitude though that one gesture. Suga smiled then took another bite of the smooth, velvety sauce while he watched them. He was truly glad to have them home, even knowing it was short-lived. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A week passed by and it was the weekend again. They had spent their time just finding as many opportunities as possible to be together, working around schedules to make it happen. Tooru was going to leave in about five days, and they had decided to meet up at a park to play some casual volleyball with friends before he left. The three of them made their way through the park to the outdoor volleyball courts, looking out for familiar faces and talking about highlights from the Adlers vs Jackals game. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I think it was when Hinata made that random set to Bokuto instead of spiking it himself.. that was impressive,” Tooru said as they walked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah.. Shrimpy really surprised me. Kourai-san was surprised too. He really did it, went away and came back better.” Tobio commented and Suga just hummed in response.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey! Who you callin’ ‘Shrimpy’ now, huh?” Hinata appeared out of nowhere and bound up to them happily with Tadashi-kun and Tsukki-kun in tow, “you know I’m nearly five-eight now! Heck, I’m basically the same height as Suga-san! Betcha don’t call him ‘Shrimpy’..” Suga raised his eyebrows at Hinata, but accepted the guy’s hug anyway. It was true, Suga never broke five-nine and was very comfortable at an average five-eight.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga squeezed him back and said, “Ah well, ya know shorter height doesn’t mean incompetence. You’re the very example of that! I’ve missed you Shouyou-chan, glad to have ya back.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Waaah! Suga-san! I’ve missed you too! What are you doing nowadays?” Hinata wailed happily, still clinging on with his arm around Suga’s shoulders.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga smiled and answered, “I’m an elementary school teacher.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, that’s uncannily well suited for you, Suga-san..” Tsukki added, nodding in greeting, “you’ve always been excellent at herding wild animals.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga laughed and Tooru commented just loudly enough to draw attention, “that about sums it up.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tooru-kun! You’re here too?!” Hinata squawked, clearly not realizing this fact in his excitement to see everyone all at once.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yahoo, Shou-chan! That was a great game, you really squashed Tobio-chan there!” Tooru gave his signature charming smile, then nodded to the others in greeting, “Glasses-kun, Pinchserve-chan, how’s it goin’?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tsukki scoffed and crossed his arms while Tadashi openly mouthed the words ‘Pinchserve-chan’ with a confused look smattered across his face. Suga snickered to himself and noticed Tobio smiling easily at his friends and Tooru’s antics. He started to walk towards the volleyball courts, leading everyone else along so they could find any others that had decided to join them for the afternoon. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It turned out that Kourai-kun, Miya, Koutarou-kun, Akaashi-kun, Tetsu-chan, Kenma, Ushijima-kun, and even Sakusa-kun were already at the courts, chatting idly as they waited. Suga watched as Hinata yelped in excitement and bounced over to Tetsu-chan and Kenma, exclaiming wildly about something or other. It was an odd combination of people and Suga sort of wished that Daichi or Asahi were available to come too, but they weren’t. He wasn’t quite sure how they’d play a game with this group, since most of them were professional players and half of them setters anyway. Suga glanced around the group, wondering what kind of field day the press would have if they saw them all playing around at a park like this, but he supposed it didn’t really matter; no doubt Tetsu-chan would turn it into some sort of sports promotion event and make a killing off of it. He continued to zone out while everyone caught up with each other until he felt as someone leaned close to his ear and whispered, “you alright? I don’t think this game will be very serious...”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was Tobio and it appeared like he was watching Suga pretty closely, but the latter couldn’t decide why. He must have looked decently distracted even with all the colorful characters present. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmm? Oh yeah, I’m fine, just thinking about random stuff. Don’t mind!” Suga replied then swooped up and kissed him on the cheek. Tobio just smiled back and nodded briefly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tooru slipped over from where he was surprisingly talking to Ushijima-kun and said, “I feel like I’m missing something? Are we showering Tobio-chan with our love and affection?” Tooru then leaned in close to Tobio, using a finger to guide his face into a better angle, and kissed him on the cheek too. Suga covered a laugh with his hand at the theatrics as it looked like a scene right out of a movie and of course Tooru would steal the leading role. Everyone around them had clued in since Tooru’s presence typically commanded attention, and were watching with mixed incredulous expressions. Miya crossed his arms haughtily and mumbled something about wanting to do the same. Hinata was gazing at the scene wide-eyed, and startled at Miya’s muttering. Others were laughing or just looking blatantly confused. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Haha! They’re soulmates, don’t mind it,” Tetsu-chan said dismissively, then went back to his conversation with Kenma like nothing out of the ordinary was happening. He did live with them for a while, so for him it was normal; and Kenma never looked abashed about anything anyway. Some of the others were still gazing around at them suspiciously though. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I see, I didn’t know of this. Though I did read that you had two, Tobio-kun. Of course, I knew about Suga-kun. Oikawa is a surprise.” Ushijima-kun said, with an unreadable expression plastered on his stoic face. It almost looked like he was intrigued. Suga wondered for a split second if Ushijima-san knew his soulmate or not, but brushed the thought away just as quickly as that line of thinking was like going down a rabbit hole. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, probably because it’s none of your business, Ushiwaka!” Tooru snipped, “right, Tobio-chan?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh..” Tobio immediately threw his hands up placatingly, “no? Honestly Tooru, I don’t care who knows.. I don’t talk about it anyway..” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga looked between them then started laughing, Koutarou, Shouyou, and Tadashi joining in gleefully at the drama, and even Akaashi and Tsukki looked amused. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Anyway.. let’s play already!” Kourai-kun shouted, getting everyone’s attention in a snap.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kenma immediately excused himself, saying he was just there to see Hinata and watch, not play. Akaashi quickly followed suit, much to Koutarou’s dismay, but joined Kenma on the grass by the court they were going to use. They had twelve then, and played a simple game to determine who would be on which side. All the pros just nonchalantly decided that they would play whichever position, so Suga found himself actually playing as a setter with Tobio, Sakusa, Koutarou, Kourai, and Tadashi; facing off against Tooru, Ushijima, Tetsurou, Shouyou, Miya, and Tsukki. After a little infighting on the opposing team, they decided to have Shouyou be the setter, which made Suga laugh as the guy was still a pro and definitely better than him regardless of it not being his usual position. He mused to himself that that’s what he got for playing with a bunch of volleyball nuts. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Despite the pros claiming it would be casual, the first game was won on nearly serves alone. Apparently, it was a bad idea to have Miya and Tooru be on the same team as Miya was obviously at the top of the rankings for Japan in this respect and Tooru was clearly the same. He hadn’t said beforehand, which wasn’t surprising at all, but Tooru had learned to deliver a nasty jump float serve as well. Suga just gawked at them finally getting along purely based on the fact that they dominated everyone with their serves. It looked like they were actually bonding, making snarky criticisms of each other’s duel wielding abilities. They got so into at one point that the others just walked off the court to take a break while the pair of them argued about technique and foreign players using different techniques and who knows what else because Suga had lost the thread of the argument at that point. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He plopped himself down on the grass next to Akaashi and Kenma. Tetsu-chan, Tadashi-kun, and Tsukki joined them as well. Suga nodded to the others then shifted his gaze to Tobio, who was standing around talking with everyone else and drinking from his water bottle. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I feel like this game’s reached a sort of volleyball limbo,” Tetsu-chan said, smirking and Suga followed his gaze to where he was analyzing Miya and Tooru’s loud argument.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mm hmm.. I’ve barely touched the ball this whole time! Which is totally fine, I haven’t really played in a long while.” Suga smiled back at Tetsu-chan, “so Daichi was on call today?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yep. He was bummed to miss this though. He’ll be even more bummed when I tell him who showed up, what a weird turn out, huh?” Tetsu-chan grinned.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re tellin’ me. I’ve hung out with Ushijima-kun before, but I’m surprised to see Sakusa-kun here.. doesn’t he usually avoid this kind of thing?” Suga asked, glancing over to the subject of his curiosity, who was still wearing a mask and talking with Ushijima-kun quietly while they both eyed the loud setter monsters.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmm, ‘suppose he does, yeah. You know, he and Ushijima are buddies.. and he actually gets along really well with Miya too, despite how they’re both a little uh..” Tetsurou left his sentence in the air.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga looked at him pointedly and finished it for him, “straightforward.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The others started laughing and Suga just beamed back at them. When Tetsurou’s cackling died down and he asked, “are you sure you wanna keep up that teaching gig? I’m positive you’d make a great sports promoter!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga laughed, “pfft haha! Somehow that feels like cheating, knowing who I know.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tetsu-chan shrugged and said, “well, if you ever change your mind, let me know. I’m seeing a glimpse of the future we might get, right here and now..” and he gestured lazily over to Miya and Tooru again, “and just think, they’ve still got lots of time to get even more monstrous before the next Olympics. A little birdie told me that Tooru-chan’s playing for Argentina.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga smiled blandly back at Tetsurou’s fishing for confirmation, knowing full well that Daichi most certainly told him, “hmm I’ll neither confirm nor deny! You’ll just have to wait and see! But yeah, if this is a preview of the future, it’ll sure be entertaining. I kind of wonder if Tooru will eventually come play for Japan again.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He probably will, Japan has some really interesting hitters. You definitely know this, Suga-san, setters love an interesting hitter.” Akaashi put in mildly, and even Kenma nodded, though he was distractedly tapping away on his phone. Suga spied Tadashi peeking over at him carefully, watching his movements.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga smiled to himself and looked up just in time to see Tooru leaping into the air and making a specific motion as if he was serving an imaginary ball. Miya was actually nodding along furiously in agreement and when he landed Tooru threw his hands in the air dramatically. Suga sighed and got up, brushing off his pants, and smiled at the others, “alright, time to be a cowboy.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This comment earned him a small laugh from Kenma and he walked away gracefully, making sure he was in full view to catch Tooru’s attention. The latter’s eyes flitted to him briefly, but still seemed a little distracted, as he was basically delivering a college level thesis on sports iconology at this point. Suga poked him playfully in the side then rose up on his tiptoes to whisper in his ear, “Tooru-chan.. do you wanna play more? You can play with me, if you want..” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga flicked his eyes around to locate Tobio, just in case he needed backup. The other was talking quietly with Sakusa and Ushijima, but blatantly keeping tabs on Tooru as well. Suga snickered to himself, finding it endearing that Tobio had this solid sense of responsibility to make sure his soulmates behaved in public. He felt Tooru freeze in place and realized that he had accidentally giggled in his ear as well. Thinking that he had done enough damage, Suga smiled and slid his hand down Tooru’s arm, catching his hand and giving it a squeeze before he walked off towards Tobio, not bothering to get an answer out of Tooru. He glanced back for a second, seeing Tooru staring after him with a blank sort of expression, and he distinctly heard Miya, “oooh, I thought you were the troublesome one for Tobio-kun! Now I can see I had the wrong idea, haha!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobio raised his eyebrows when Suga approached him, but he just ignored the silent question and asked nonchalantly, “you guys ready for another game?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“k-kapow..” Hinata had sidled up next to Suga, “I think as far as opponents go.. I wouldn’t want to go up against you, Suga-san.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmm? Why’s that Shouyou-chan?” Suga smiled pleasantly back at him, tilting his head curiously. He tucked a few strands that fell loose back behind his ear and continued to keep his full attention on Hinata, waiting for an answer since he was unsure what the other meant.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I mean.. it’s just. I... um,” Hinata fumbled, then smiled weakly like he just couldn’t explain himself at the moment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Much to Suga’s surprise, Tsukki chimed in from his grassy rest spot, “I think Shouyou means it takes a lot to keep guys like that in check, those two arrogant kings of the court.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suga laughed brightly and eyed him with a sharp look, “oh, but Tsukki, I’m just a garden of flowers, right? Don’t mind me. Wanna talk about your celestial planes?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No.” Tsukki answered abruptly and busied himself by inspecting his fingernails, “another game sounds good.” Suga grinned then looked around the others who were all staring back at them curiously, but apprehensively, like they would be targeted by Suga’s mystical powers next. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Koushi.. what did you say to Tooru, he’s pouting, did you tease him?” Tobio asked bluntly, peering at him suspiciously.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I did no such thing!” Suga said and smacked Tobio on the chest offhandedly with the back of his hand, “I only asked if he wanted to keep playing.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I am </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> pouting, Tobio-chan!” Tooru exclaimed, sauntering over and folding his arms across his chest, glaring at the other haughtily. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well then! It looks like we’re ready to play!” Suga said a bit loudly, picking up a volleyball, “you’ll let me be setter still, yeah?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Miya and Tetsu-chan laughed while Hinata, Koutarou, and Kourai-kun cheered happily, everyone moving back into positions on the court to start another game. It was a bizarre sort of experience, playing with these guys, but he was happy to have a chance to be included in his soulmates’ world even though he hadn’t continued volleyball after high school. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They finished another game, and Suga felt like he was dying since he had run around jumping into the air so often. He had gotten his hands on the ball way more often than before as the pros were now purposely trying crazy serves they’d never attempted before just for fun and laughing every time it failed spectacularly. The only downfall to this was now Suga actually had to play, which was exhausting. But at least he hadn’t lost as much of his dependable, defense-oriented, well-honed skills, and he was able to keep up to an acceptable level apart from being physically exhausted. He bent over with his hands on his knees, taking a few deep breaths when Tobio came over with his water bottle, offering it over. Suga took a long drink and mumbled a breathy ‘thanks’. Tobio was just smiling back at him happily, apparently keeping him company while he recovered from the exertion. Suga scowled, noting that most of the others were barely even phased by the exercise, Hinata in particular was still jumping around playing some sort of complex passing game with Hoshiumi. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Soooo, Suga-chan..” Tetsurou meandered over to them, calling out like he was scheming something.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes... Tetsu... chan..?” Suga huffed and stood up, squinting at him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Aha! Well, let me ask you, ya know, just while you’re catching your breath.. you’re still really good, ya know?” Tetsurou began, grinning smugly and Suga was really starting to wonder where this was going, “I know of a little community gym that needs a volleyball coach for their elementary-aged kids. Wanna do me a favor and take it up? That’s your prime demographic, right? Cakewalk!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ehhh?!” Suga responded, caught completely by surprise, “wait, what?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Would you consider coaching a junior volleyball team? I know you’ve got your day job.. but I’ve been trying to find the perfect candidate, and I think I just have!” Tetsu-chan practically sang out gleefully.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah.. hmm..” Suga put his hands on his hips and stared at him, still scrutinizing his face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You should consider it, you are good. I’ve always tried to convince you of that..” Tobio leaned close and said in a low hushed tone that probably only carried to Suga’s ears.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I.. I guess I could try?” Suga replied then threw his hands in the air in exasperation. He wasn’t sure how spending time playing some volleyball again was turning into this: getting completely sucked back into it. Tobio gave him a brief side hug and Tetsurou grinned at him mischievously, the provocation master triumphant again. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The rest of the week went by in a flash with it feeling like a nice, lazy vacation. Suga and Tobio walked Tooru through the airport to security check-in, where they’d finally have to part again. Tobio had spent a lot of time the previous night talking quietly with Tooru about various things, but Suga was so sleepy he had missed a lot of the conversation and ended up falling asleep strewn across Tooru’s lap. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He watched them say goodbye, exchange a lingering kiss and a long embrace, Tobio whispering something into Tooru’s ear as he backed away slowly. Tooru’s gaze stayed on Tobio for a moment before he turned to Suga. He didn’t want Tooru to go, not really, not ever. But he knew that they all chose paths to follow that would eventually meet up, entangle, and cross again and again. This was all just a ‘see you later’.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, who do you think will win?” Suga asked quietly, grabbing Tooru’s hand. He hoped Tooru would pick up that he meant the next time they’d see each other at the Olympics match. It was only a thin thread of conversation that would prolong the inevitable and Tooru would actually have to leave soon, but Suga couldn’t help it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmmm, we’re really good,” Tooru replied easily then looked into Suga’s eyes, “it doesn’t matter who wins then or anytime, because I’ve already won.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
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